Prenatal Alcohol and Nicotine Exposure and the Subsequent Cognitive and Behavioral Deficits Seen in Children

Prenatal alcohol and nicotine exposure have well known physiological effects on the fetus. However, it is the goal of this thesis to inform the reader of of the deleterious effects that these substances can have on cognitive and behavioral development in children. A literature review in relation to this topic was conducted through online databases using key words. Though some of the results were inconsistent, enough evidence exists for women to be educated on the increased risks for cognitive and behavioral deficits in children exposed to alcohol and nicotine in utero

Aphid-Parasitoid (Insecta) Diversity and Trophic Interactions in South Dakota

Parasitoid wasps of the subfamily Aphidiinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) specialize on aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) as hosts. The diversity of known and probable aphidiine wasps from South Dakota is itemized, with representation by 13 genera and 42 species, 43% of which are probably adventitious. The wasps and aphids are central to various combinations of multitrophic relationships involving host plants and secondary parasitoids. Selected native and introduced aphid host taxa were quantitatively and qualitatively collected from diverse native and crop host plants in eastern South Dakota and western Iowa. Wasps were reared to confirm plant association, host aphid association, taxonomic diversity, and native or introduced status of the wasps. Acanthocaudus tissoti (Smith) and Aphidius (Aphidius) ohioensis (Smith) were found together on the native aphid Uroleucon (Uroleucon) nigrotuberculatum (Olive), a new host aphid species for both wasps on Solidago canadensis L. (Asterales: Asteraceae). The native wasp Lysiphlebus testaceipes (Cresson) was repeatedly reared in massive numbers from mummies of invasive Aphis glycines Matsumura on soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr. This wasp was also reared from the non-native Aphis nerii Boyer de Fonscolombe and the native Aphis asclepiadis Fitch, both on Asclepias syriaca L. The introduced wasp Binodoxys communis (Gahan) was not recovered from any Aphis glycines population. Hyperparasitoids from the genus Dendrocerus Ratzeburg (Hymenoptera: Megaspilidae), and the pteromalid (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) genera Asaphes Walker, and Pachyneuron Walker were reared from mummies of Uroleucon (Uroleucon) nigrotuberculatum parasitized by either Acanthocaudus tissoti or Aphidius (Aphidius) ohioensis. Hyperparasitoids of the genus Alloxysta (Hymenoptera: Figitidae) were reared from mummies of Aphis glycines and A. nerii parasitized by Lysiphlebus testaceipes

Measuring Affective Responses to Different Types of Nature Exposure

Natural environments provide many physical and physiological benefits for an individual. Examples may include decreased stress levels, increased intrinsic motivations and prosocial behavior, and more. Fueled by the curiosity of the extent to which nature provides these benefits, this study investigated whether pre-existing preference for either waterscape scenes or mountainous scenes, as well as self-reported affective and associative responses to those environmental exposures are possible explanations for the experience of wellbeing when one is exposed to nature. Measures included the Nature Relatedness Scale, State Vitality Scale, Positive and Negative Affect Scale, and a nature preference scale (mountainous vs. waterscape). Nature relatedness was a significant predictor for state vitality and positive affect, as participants who scored higher on the nature relatedness scale prior to the study rated themselves as happier and more energized after viewing nature scenes. More participants in the water condition cognitively associated themselves interacting with the environment, recounting specific memories of their own, as well as reporting more calm cognitive associations. Also, people who preferred waterscape scenes reported more calm cognitive associations in both conditions. The interaction between picture type and nature preference for the restorative element of fascination showed that individuals who preferred a specific type of nature scene were in turn more fascinated when viewing the scene they preferred. Implications for these results suggest that people who are more closely related to nature experience higher levels of positive affect and state vitality when exposed to natural environments. In addition, one’s own nature preferences result in higher levels of fascination when viewing environments that you like to see

Opposite Sex Friendship Initiation: Dispositional Differences in Self-Monitoring

Based on the self-monitoring and friendship literature (Fuglestad & Snyder, 2010) it was predicted that compared to low self-monitors, high self-monitors have an unrestricted orientation to sexual liaisons and view friendships as activity-based. These two tendencies suggest high self-monitors are more likely than low self-monitors to initiate opposite sex friendships for sexual purposes whereas low self-monitors are more likely than high self-monitors to initiate opposite sex friendships for companionship purposes. To evaluate this prediction, 133 male and 135 female heterosexuals completed the 25 item Self-Monitoring Scale (Snyder, 1974), the Reasons for Friendship Initiation Scale (Bleske-Rechek & Buss, 2001), and the Sociosexual Orientation Inventory (Simpson & Gangestad, 1991; Penke & Aspendorf, 2008). While controlling for sociosexuality, high self-monitors more often than low self-monitors initiated opposite sex friendships for sexual gratification, while there was no significant relationship between self-monitoring and companionship. Limitations (e.g., nonexperimental design, self-report, unrepresentative sample), and future directions (e.g., longitudinal designs, behavioral observations, diverse samples) are discussed

Mass Incarceration by Design: The Impacts of Urban Renewal and Landscape Architecture\u27s Absence on the Prison Industrial Complex and the Use of Landscape Architecture as an Antidote to Mass Incarceration

The work of landscape architects has both positive and negative social impacts and landscape architects can strive to intentionally design for positive social impact. This paper utilizes mass incarceration as a lens for discussing the social impact of landscape architecture. The crossroads of mass incarceration and design offer a unique opportunity for Landscape Architects to examine the impact of many urban renewal efforts on marginalized communities, the benefits of landscape architectural involvement in prison design, and the use of design as protest against inhumane structures. This paper is separated into three sections, one detailing the history of social justice and injustice in landscape architecture, one explaining how mass incarceration developed and what landscape architects can do to respond to it and another detailing The Solitary Gardens in New Orleans, a landscape-based project that advocates against the use of solitary confinement and mass incarceration through collaborative design with incarcerated people. This research suggests that Landscape Architects can combat mass incarceration in a variety of ways: through collaboration with marginalized groups when designing urban spaces, through reformative prison landscape design, through work with ex-offenders and by lobbying against the use of inhumane designs. These findings beg further research into whether it is more appropriate for designers to lead socially progressive pursuits or respond to popular movements, what the best practices for navigating between marginalized and empowered stakeholders are, what the economic feasibility of social impact design as a profession is and how to prove the mental and physical benefits of inmates with access to green infrastructure

Revegetating Salt-Impacted Soils in The Northern Great Plains

In the northern Great Plains (NGP), an estimated 10.6 million hectares of land are affected by naturally occurring salt-impacted soil. Naturally occurring salt impaction results when rainfall causes salts in parent material to move upward through the soil profile and remain in the root zone causing osmotic and ionic stress, negatively affecting seed imbibition, germination, and plant growth. Common methods to remediate saltimpacted soils were developed in the irrigated soils of the Southwestern U.S., are ineffective in the non-irrigated soils of the NGP, and can exacerbate the problem. Therefore, new methods to remediate salt-impacted soil in the NGP are needed. In this study, two objectives were assessed: 1) identification of native species that exhibit salt tolerance during imbibition and germination, and 2) evaluation of the performance of native species used to revegetate a salt-impacted site. To address objective 1, the response of 16 native plant species to seed treatment (mechanical scarification) and four soil solutions (deionized water, and soil solutions with high, medium, and low salt concentrations) was evaluated. The effects of soil solution and seed treatment were species-specific for imbibition and germination, and eight species (Asclepias speciosa, Desmodium canadense, Elymus canadensis, E. trachycaulus, Gaillardia aristata, Helianthus maximiliani, Pascopyrum smithii, and Sporobolus airoides) exhibited salt tolerance. To address objective 2, eight species (identified in objective 1) were planted in a salt-impacted field and survival and performance were evaluated. Survival and performance results indicated that most species tolerated the medium and low salt concentrations, except S. airoides, which increased survival in high salt conditions. Results of our study provide native plant species recommendations for revegetating saltimpacted soil in the NGP