Fogler Plus Newsletter, June 13, 2024

What\u27s Fogler Plus ? Raymond H. Fogler Library, Merrill Library in Machias, Maine InfoNet, and the University of Maine Press provide library collections and related services under the direction of the University of Maine Dean of Libraries. We\u27ve renamed this newsletter to better reflect all Fogler Plus news and initiatives

Spatial and Demographic Variations in Apparent Annual Survival of Golden-Winged Warblers: a Range-Wide Investigation

The Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera) is a Nearctic-Neotropical migratory songbird that has experienced over 70% population loss since the 1960s. While primary drivers of decline are unclear, habitat loss and hybridization with the genetically similar Blue-winged Warbler (Vermivora cyanoptera) are likely causes. This species breeds in two geographically allopatric regions, the Great Lakes and the Appalachian Mountains. These two populations are experiencing different rates of decline, with the Appalachian Mountain population facing steeper decline than the Great Lakes. Due to pronounced range-wide population decline, Golden-winged Warbler is currently under review for protection under the Endangered Species Act, however information pertaining to adult annual survival and variations that may occur temporally, geographically, or demographically is currently lacking. Specifically, survival information for female Golden-winged Warblers is uncommon given that females are elusive in nature and thus are largely absent in historical capture-mark-recapture datasets. To better understand sex-, site-, and region-specific variations in apparent annual survival, we conducted a range-wide, hierarchical multi-population Cormack-Jolly-Seber analysis that encompassed 23 sites across Golden-winged Warbler breeding and wintering grounds. Each site represented a capture-mark-recapture dataset collected between 1980-2022 by a large network of researchers studying various aspects of Golden-winged Warbler demographics. We found a tendency for apparent annual survival to be higher in the Appalachians region but overlapping credible intervals did not support a substantial difference. More standardized data collection across datasets and an increase in the number of years represented in individual capture histories would have increased our certainty in the presence or absence of regional variation. Male apparent annual survival tended to be higher than females but was not substantially different. However, this was a male-biased analysis with only 20% female representation across the compiled dataset. To increase female representation in survival analyses, we used VHF-telemetry to increase annual female detectability and ran additional apparent annual survival and return rate analyses to better understand differences in sex-specific variations. This analysis encompassed data collected across 13 sites in their breeding range from 2021-2023. With different methods used to detect females, along with a concentrated effort to mark females, we were able to achieve 45% female representation in our apparent annual survival analysis and 37% female representation in our annual return rate analysis. Results showed that females had substantially lower apparent annual survival and return rate probabilities than males, which suggests that females are experiencing either increased mortality at some point during their full annual cycle, or they have a higher dispersal rate than males. These findings provide crucial insights into how sex influences the survival and return rate of Golden-winged Warblers and underscore the need for more female-focused survival studies

Chemical Composition, Food Safety and Quality Characteristics of Birch Syrup in Comparison to Maple Syrup

Birch syrup has gained popularity in the market due to its distinctive flavor, natural origin, potential health benefits, and culinary versatility with a wide range of applications. Birch syrup has been attracting attention recently because it has been presented as a unique alternative to one of the most used sweeteners, maple syrup. Apart from the similar production process and artisanal appeal, both syrups have important distinctions such as flavor, chemical composition, and other characteristics that make them unique. Because of its high consumption and economic impact, maple syrup has been extensively studied to check various factors and aspects such as chemical composition, physical properties, production processes, quality, safety, health benefits, and more. These studies have helped the FDA to establish standards to guarantee the integrity and safety of maple syrup in the market. On the other hand, birch syrup presents regulatory challenges since less research has been conducted on this syrup to establish safe processing methods and Brix level standards to ensure the safety of this product. Therefore, the chemical composition, physical properties, and safety characteristics of birch syrup were investigated and compared to those of maple syrup. Eight batches of blended, heated, and filtered birch and maple syrup samples were collected by the same producer in Temple, ME. Both syrups were analyzed for chemical and nutritive properties (sugars, organic acids, pH, phenolic compounds, minerals), physical properties and quality characteristics (Brix and water activity levels), and microbial load (total aerobic bacteria, yeast and mold, and fungal inoculation studies). The birch syrup Brix levels (62.2-63.6 degrees Brix) were significantly lower (pEurotium sp(Aspergillus representing the asexual stage), Penicillium brevicompactum, and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa when the contamination level was 100 spores in 500 μl for both syrups. Future work could further investigate seasonal variations, producer geography, soil differences, and climate changes to determine if these variables can affect the Brix, pH, water activity levels, sugar, and mineral concentrations in other birch syrup samples. With more data, regulatory agencies can move forward to determine how to best assess an adequate Brix level range and processing parameters to begin creating regulatory definitions to best regulate the growing birch syrup industry

Predicting Larval Dispersal and Population Connectivity of Sea Scallops (Placopecten magellanicus) on the Maine Coast through an Individual-Based Model

A hydrodynamic model of the coastal currents in the Gulf of Maine has been adapted to include an individual-based scallop larval development and behaviors module and used to estimate sea scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) larval dispersal along the eastern Maine coast. Larvae are released along the coastline out to a 40 m isobath during September and October, and dispersal is driven using the hydrodynamical model result for the region from 2014 through 2017. The origins of particles that “settle” in focal areas, such as Blue Hill Bay, Jericho Bay, and Narraguagus Bay, are determined from model runs, and the frequency with which recruits settling at focal sites originate from various source regions is analyzed. Larval dispersal in the region is balanced between the Eastern Maine Coastal Current (EMCC) and complex inshore eddies. In most years, Narraguagus Bay receives most of its larval recruits from various points along the coast from Gouldsboro Bay eastward through the Bay of Fundy, including from around Grand Manan Island. By contrast, recruitment to Blue Hill Bay is dominated by local recruitment, with the rest of the spat to this bay arriving from eastern Penobscot Bay and Frenchman Bay. Recruitment to Jericho Bay is similarly supplied by larvae from eastern Penobscot Bay but with much lower local recruitment than was seen in Blue Hill Bay. The proportion of spat that come into Blue Hill and Jericho Bays from the eastern Gulf of Maine via the EMCC varies seasonally and interannually, with higher connectivity to the eastern Gulf in some years than in others. Some of this variability can be explained by severe weather events such as nor’easters. The ability of the model to predict changes in larval dispersal patterns with variations in weather conditions could be a valuable tool in fisheries and aquaculture management

The Impact of Prejudice on Women\u27s Wellbeing: A Moderated-Mediation Rejection Identification Model on Feminist Identity

The study’s purpose was to assess sexism’s impact on women’s wellbeing based on the Rejection-Identification Model (Branscombe et al., 1999), in which perceived prejudice increases group identification, which in turn buffers the negative consequences of prejudice on wellbeing. Surveys were administered via Qualtrics. Using PROCESS analyses in SPSS, Study 1 (n = 1,083) investigated whether or not these relationships between prejudice, group identification, and wellbeing were moderated by feminist identity (Model 59; Hayes, 2018). Results showed that while women higher in feminist identity do experience greater depression in response to perceived prejudice, they also have a significantly stronger relationship between group identification and well-being -- providing a buffer on the effects of prejudice via group identification. Study 2 (n = 760) analyzed a similar model (Model 89; Hayes, 2018) which integrated collective action -- which is collaborating with others to address the issue of prejudice. Results showed that the relationship between personal prejudice (perceptions of prejudice towards oneself personally) and group identification is not moderated -- meaning perceptions of personal sexism may hurt all women similarly. In response to group prejudice, the indirect effect of collective action was significant for both women higher and lower in feminist identity. These results suggest collective action may be a useful tool for protecting women’s wellbeing in the face of prejudice. Study 1 suggests women lower in feminist identity may experience less impact of prejudice on well being initially -- but without the protective benefits of group identification. Study 2’s results demonstrate collective action against prejudice may provide longer-term rewards by buffering the effects of prejudice on women’s wellbeing, as well as addressing the pervasiveness of sexism

An Investigation of Concrete Porosity and Material Interface Interactions Using High Frequency Ultrasonic Attenuation

With the goal of detecting and quantitively characterizing pore distribution using ultrasonic analysis in concrete specimens with fine and coarse aggregate included, specimens were created with varying air contents, two different w/c ratios, and with and without coarse aggregate, which consisted of glass beads. The glass beads were used because of the close match of acoustic impedance with cement paste. The presumption being that any scattering at the interface between the paste and the aggregate would be due to the presence of an interfacial zone rather than the impedance mismatch. The specimens were subjected to through-transmission ultrasonic interrogation using Yushi 4 MHz transducers along with an Olympus pulser and a Moku:Go data acquisition device (DAQ) to record the ultrasonic pulses. For attenuation measurements, the recorded ultrasonic signals were processed first by obtaining a baseline signal with the transducers face to face with only the coupling grease between them. This is compared to a through transmission pulse recorded through the specimen to determine the amount of signal lost through the specimen. The frequency-based attenuation for each specimen was determined through division in the frequency domain. Some dependence on air content was observed, but it did not provide a clear picture of pore sizes. A new method was developed to obtain the pore size distribution. This is done by first converting the time-based data to a frequency-based data set using an FFT using the same code as the attenuation calculations. The frequency spectrum is integrated, resulting in the magnitude of energy received at each frequency as well as the total magnitude of energy received within the full frequency band for the pulse. For this case, a frequency band from 1-10 MHz was used. These frequencies are then converted to wavelengths using the ultrasonic pulse velocity data for each specimen. For each wavelength, a corresponding percentage is calculated representing how much of the total pulse energy received in this frequency range was at the current wavelength being looked at. This was done for all the wavelengths within the frequency range. This results in a curve of the cumulative percentage of non-scattered wavelengths. By taking the compliments of these percentages, the curve now shows the cumulative wavelength percentage scattered within the specimen which is interpreted as a pore size cumulative percentage curve. For validation, a select set of specimens were then CT-scanned, and the resulting images processed to get an independent measurement of pore size distribution. This resulted in pore size cumulative percentage curves for both the ultrasonic and CT scans that were comparable for different air contents and aggregate inclusions. While there is not a clear fundamental basis for the proposed technique, the results are important and provide the next step to a field applicable ultrasonic testing approach to characterizing microstructure in concrete structures without using destructive methods

Notch Signaling Regulates Perivascular Adipose Tissue Functions

High fat diet (HFD) can contribute to diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in humans, and diabetes is a major risk factor for CVD. The comorbidity of these two metabolic disorders indicates shared mechanisms of pathology. As a component of the vasculature, perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) regulates vasoreactivity and contributes to obesity-related vascular pathologies, such as atherosclerosis, through paracrine signaling. The Notch pathway plays fundamental roles in cell fate decisions and growth, and is involved in adipocyte metabolic homeostasis. Previous studies have shown that constitutive Notch signaling in adipose tissue promotes pathological conversion of aortic PVAT in mice fed a control diet, including increased lipid storage and reduced expression of thermogenic adipocyte markers in PVAT. However, it is unknown how Notch signaling regulates thermogenesis in PVAT and the downstream effects on cardiovascular function. A better understanding of Notch signaling in PVAT will advance our knowledge of molecular pathways that link local adipose tissue to the underlying blood vessel. This could lead to the development of therapeutic strategies targeting specific pathways in the PVAT to improve cardiovascular health. Methods: N1ICD;Adipoq-Cre mice with constitutive activation of Notch signaling specifically in adipose tissue and RBPJ-kfl/fl .Adipoq-Cre mice with conditional loss-of-function of the Notch signaling transcription factor, RBPJ-k in adipose tissue were generated. Histological and physiological analyses were used to analyze mouse phenotypes. Proteomic analysis was performed to analyze pathways and proteins that are regulated by Notch signaling. Vessel wire myography was used to analyze vascular phenotypes ex vivo. Changes in gene and protein expression were further studied by Real-Time PCR (qPCR), immunoblot, and immunofluorescent analysis. To study Notch’s regulation of mitophagy, we isolated PVAT stromal vascular fractions from mito-QC mice and transfected them with adenovirus-associated viruses to overexpress Notch siganling. We also performed the Seahorse Assay to assess mitochondrial respiration in differentiated PVAT stromal vascular fractions in vitro. Conclusions: We found that increased Notch signaling leads to PVAT whitening and impaired mitochondrial function. Furthermore, we found that Notch signaling activation leads to increased mitophagy, and oxidative stress in PVAT tissue, which also causes upregulated ferroptosis in PVAT adipocytes. These further lead to the loss of protective vasodilatory function of PVAT and pathology in PVAT adjacent vessels

MF057 History of the University of Maine Oral History Project / David Smith

A series of interviews conducted by Shirley Tardiff for David C. Smith, a professor of history at the University of Maine, in 1971, about the history of the University of Maine in Orono. See Smith\u27s book, The First Century: A History of the University of Maine, 1865-1965.https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/ne_findingaids/1087/thumbnail.jp

Increasing Accessibility to Newborn Hearing Screening for Out-of-Hospital Births

The Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (MECDHH), in collaboration with the Maine Newborn Hearing program, and participating midwives embarked on a pilot program to increase accessibility to newborn hearing screening for out-of-hospital births. Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) guidelines recommend screening infants for hearing differences by 1 month of age, evaluation by 3 months of age, and being enrolled in early intervention by 6 months of age. Most infants who have a missed hearing screen after 1 month of age have consistently been infants born outside the hospital setting