Oyster reef recovery: Impacts of rotational management and restoration efforts on public fishing grounds

Coastal ecosystems are degraded worldwide and oyster reefs are among the most threatened coastal habitats. Oysters are a critical ecosystem engineer and valuable fishery species, thus effective management strategies must balance tradeoffs between protecting reef ecosystems and continued human use. Management practices for oysters commonly incorporate shell replenishment (provisioning hard substrates to increase reef relief) and spatial management (rotational harvest areas or sanctuaries); however, the impact of these practices on reef dynamics and fisheries outcomes are poorly understood, particularly on harvested reefs. This project examines the efficacy of shell replenishment and spatial management practices on public fishing grounds by analyzing long term datasets available for the Rappahannock River in the Chesapeake Bay, USA. Using generalized linear mixed effects models, we examine how oyster reef metrics (brown shell substrate L m-2, recruit density m-2, market density m-2) and fisheries efficiency (meeting daily bushel harvest limit or not) respond to management actions. Our results indicate that a 3 y rotation maintains the underlying reef structure, enhances recruitment, and increases market sized oyster density by 1.23 oysters m-2 on average. Sanctuaries and harvested reefs had comparable brown shell and recruit density; however, sanctuaries had higher market oyster density on average. Shell replenishment practices directly enhanced harvester efficiency, particularly in harvest areas with poor reef condition. Our results indicate that low levels of replenishment (~1000 bushels acre 1) provide substantial benefits to oyster reefs and the fishery. This study is the first to evaluate the marginal benefits of replenishment activities for biological and fisheries outcomes, and a novel, real world assessment for oyster restoration practices on public fishing grounds. Cumulatively, our findings show that spatial management and replenishment practices enhance oyster reefs in temperate estuaries and offers a framework applicable to other degraded ecosystems worldwide

Selling Irish Republicanism: Alliances, Culture, And Ideology, 1970-2000

Realpolitik, Race, and Irish Republicanism: Multiracial Alliances in a Cold War Context, 1980-1998. This paper explores the stratified relationships between Sinn Féin, Noraid, Irish American republican grassroots activists, and various communities of color, activist groups, and “Third World” liberation struggles. In doing so, it disrupts dominate trends in Irish and Irish American historiography regarding Irish and Irish American social and political ties with people of color and places Irish and Irish American multiracial alliances within a Cold War and post-Cold War context and climate. “Each Dollar a Bullet,” Each Grand a Ballot: Selling Conflict, Culture, and Change in Irish America, 1970-2000. This paper explores how, what I define as, Irish American republican material and experiential culture both facilitated and reflected Noraid and Sinn Féin’s appeal to wealthy elites over their traditional working class white ethnic base. Through analysis of the shift in the kind and cost of events hosted, merchandise sold, and experiences offered, this paper traces Sinn Féin and Noraid’s political strategy through new and innovative means and methods

Transcriptional Dynamics During Rhodococcus erythropolis Infection with Phage WC1

Background Belonging to the Actinobacteria phylum, members of the Rhodococcus genus thrive in soil, water, and even intracellularly. While most species are non-pathogenic, several cause respiratory disease in animals and, more rarely, in humans. Over 100 phages that infect Rhodococcus species have been isolated but despite their importance for Rhodococcus ecology and biotechnology applications, little is known regarding the molecular genetic interactions between phage and host during infection. To address this need, we report RNA-Seq analysis of a novel Rhodococcus erythopolis phage, WC1, analyzing both the phage and host transcriptome at various stages throughout the infection process. Results By five minutes post-infection WC1 showed upregulation of a CAS-4 family exonuclease, putative immunity repressor, an anti-restriction protein, while the host showed strong upregulation of DNA replication, SOS repair, and ribosomal protein genes. By 30 min post-infection, WC1 DNA synthesis genes were strongly upregulated while the host showed increased expression of transcriptional and translational machinery and downregulation of genes involved in carbon, energy, and lipid metabolism pathways. By 60 min WC1 strongly upregulated structural genes while the host showed a dramatic disruption of metal ion homeostasis. There was significant expression of both host and phage non-coding genes at all time points. While host gene expression declined over the course of infection, our results indicate that phage may exert more selective control, preserving the host’s regulatory mechanisms to create an environment conducive for virion production. Conclusions The Rhodococcus genus is well recognized for its ability to synthesize valuable compounds, particularly steroids, as well as its capacity to degrade a wide range of harmful environmental pollutants. A detailed understanding of these phage-host interactions and gene expression is not only essential for understanding the ecology of this important genus, but will also facilitate development of phage-mediated strategies for bioremediation as well as biocontrol in industrial processes and biomedical applications. Given the current lack of detailed global gene expression studies on any Rhodococcus species, our study addresses a pressing need to identify tools and genes, such as F6 and rpf, that can enhance the capacity of Rhodococcus species for bioremediation, biosynthesis and pathogen control

Re-evaluating Egalitarian Design in Contemporary Danish Society

This study examines the discourses and practices of egalitarian architecture in contemporary Denmark. Denmark’s long standing comprehensive welfare system promotes, for all citizens, equal access to education, healthcare, and public services, and other opportunities. Similarly, its own brand of socially progressive, egalitarian architecture encourages spatial designs intended for use by all people regardless of social disparities. Drawing on a range of sources from government documents to architectural magazines to design projects themselves, this study defines the historical development of this discourse going back to Modernist and Functionalist movements in the 1930s. By revealing the cultural and demographic assumptions on which socially responsive design projects are based, it reevaluates egalitarian architectural discourse. The projects examined in this study suggest the design field is evolving to include growing groups like the aging generation more effectively than the immigrant population. Ultimately, the study argues that the challenges Danish design practitioners and policymakers face in addressing the needs of their increasingly multicultural population stem from a residual cultural inclination that favors sameness and equality over the recognition of differences

Comparative accumulation and effects of microplastics and microplastic-associated PCB-153 in the white hard clam (Meretrix lyrata) and giant river prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) following chronic exposure

Global environmental abundance of microplastics (MPs) is increasing. MPs may sorb hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs), accumulate in and cause deleterious effects on exposed organisms. This study investigated and compared the accumulation and effects of MPs and MP-associated PCB in the two indigenous aquatic organisms in Viet Nam, the white hard clams, Meretrix lyrata, and the giant river prawns, Macrobrachium rosenbergii. The test organisms were exposed to either polyethylene microbeads (PEMBs), waterborne polychlorinated biphenyl 153 (PCB-153), or PEMB-associated PCB-153 (PEMB-PCB) over 28 days. Organismal MP accumulation, survival, and weight gain were examined at various sampling intervals. In general, MP accumulation was significantly greater in the clams than in the prawns. A significant quantity of MPs was observed in the digestive systems of the organisms after 0.5-day and during 28-day exposure. Although the effect of MPs and MP-associated PCB-153 on mean survival rate was not statistically significant, this effect was significant towards the end of the 28-day exposure. In addition, while MP-associated PCB-153 did not significantly affect the weight gain of the prawns, it significantly reduced weight gain in clams. Given the global increases of MPs and HOCs (and in southeast Asia specifically), and the importance of the hard clams and giant river prawns in the Indo-Pacific region, this present study provides valuable data to enhance our understanding of the effects of MPs and HOCs on these species

Moving Forward in the Wake of the Pandemic: Shifting from Schools Acting Alone to Engaged Partnerships with Families and Communities

Workplace shortages are a top concern for schools in times of calm and even more troubling in times of stress. Burnout is especially widespread in stressful situations of disrupted learning, trauma, and discord (e.g., Diliberti & Schwartz, 2022; Thomas et al., 2019). In the wake of the pandemic, educators struggled to deal with the stressors on their own (IES, 2022). It became clear that schools could no longer work in isolation. Moving forward in the wake of the pandemic required an intentional shift in purpose from isolated classrooms to interconnected partnerships with families and communities. In the path to recovery, educators rediscovered the value of shifting beyond the schoolhouse to engage in partnerships with the greater community. Lessons learned indicate that schools were more likely to make the shift to partnerships happen when they welcomed the wisdom of families, embraced external supports, and collaborated to expand local community resources for healing and recovery

“When They Say ‘Queer,’ They Don’t Mean You”: A Foucauldian-Informed Thematic Discourse Analysis Of Bisexual+ Emerging Adults’ Use Of Fiction-Based Parasocial Relationships During Sexual Identity Construction

Drawing from Foucauldian discourse analysis and narrative inquiry, this poststructural Foucauldian-informed thematic discourse analysis explored the ways bisexual+ emerging adults used fiction-based parasocial relationships during identity construction processes. Through interviews and journal reflections, five bisexual+ emerging adults were interviewed to recount their experiences connecting to media and forming parasocial relationships with fictional characters as they came to understand and construct their sexual identity. Through a dual-layered analysis process rooted in critical thematic analysis, individual participant narratives combined with a metanarrative constellation, the findings reflect the unique experiences of the participants while providing an exploration of cultural influences on identity construction and how parasocial relationships can abate those which have a negative influence, something particularly important given the regression in acceptance of queerness in the United States. Findings supported the conceptual framework which posited parasocial relationships function as both interpersonal and environmental factors for the participants in this study. Key findings include the use of parasocial relationships as sources of affirmation and sources of resistance and subversion as well as their use to build relationships in virtual spaces (fandoms) as well as in real life. With roots in media, communication, and fan studies as well as college student development theory research, this interdisciplinary work calls for further exploration into the role and functionality of media on emerging adults from a variety of perspectives as well as research that focuses on individual communities within the queer community instead of treating them like a monolith

GIS Data: 2024 Westmoreland County, Virginia - Shoreline Inventory, Coastal Natural Buffers, & Marsh Migration Corridors.

The 2024 Shoreline Inventory, Coastal Natural Buffers, and Migration Corridors layers for the City of Westmoreland were generated using on- screen, digitizing techniques in ArcGIS® Pro v. 3.x while viewing conditions observed in Bing high-resolution oblique imagery, Google Earth, and 2021 imagery from the Virginia Base Mapping Program (VBMP). A geodatabase was developed named Westmoreland_ShlInventory_NatBuffers_MarshCorridors_2024 containing the following eight features classes displaying bank conditions, shoreline features, natural buffers, and marsh migration corridors: Westmoreland_BankHeightSlope_2024, Westmoreland_RecreationalStructures_2024, Westmoreland_ErosionControlStructures_2024_Line, Westmoreland_ErosionControlStructures_2024_Polygon, Westmoreland_BeachesAndDunes_2024, Westmoreland_TMI_2024, Westmoreland_MarshMigrationCorridors_2ft_2024 and Westmoreland_MarshMigrationCorridors_4ft_2024