Caribbean Adventures and Experiential Education during Herpetological Surveys

The Applied Biodiversity Sciences Perspectives Series is a student-directed collection of contributions from graduate student and faculty members of the integrative, NSF-IGERT Applied Biodiversity Sciences (ABS) program at Texas A&M University. The ABS Perspectives Series aims to highlight the application and practice of conservation science reflected in the experiences of ABS Scholars from both the social and biological sciences. Our online publication focuses on sharing our experiences with a diverse readership to raise awareness of biodiversity conservation issues and current research being undertaken at Texas A&M University. A foundational component of the ABS Program is to communicate within, across, and outside of our scientific disciplines. The ABS Perspectives Series is intended to communicate to the general public, the communities where our research takes place, fellow academics and practitioners, and institutions that provide logistics, infrastructure, and support the who, what, where, how, and why of Applied Biodiversity Science.Applied Biodiversity Science Program - Texas A&M Universit

Linking Monitoring and Data Analysis to Predictions and Decisions for the Range-wide Eastern Black Rail Status Assessment

The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has initiated a re-envisioned approach for providing decision makers with the best available science and synthesis of that information, called the Species Status Assessment (SSA), for endangered species decision making. The SSA report is a descriptive document that provides decision makers with an assessment of the current and pre - dicted future status of a species. These analyses support all manner of decisions under the US Endangered Species Act, such as listing, reclassification, and recovery planning. Novel scientific analysis and predictive modeling in SSAs could be an important part of rooting conservation decisions in current data and cutting edge analytical and modeling techniques. Here, we describe a novel analysis of available data to assess the current condition of eastern black rail Laterallus jamai censis jamai cen sis across its range in a dynamic occupancy analysis. We used the results of the ana lysis to develop a site occupancy projection model where the model parameters (initial occupancy, site persistence, colo nization) were linked to environmental covariates, such as land management and land cover change (sea-level rise, development, etc.). We used the projection model to predict future status under multiple sea-level rise and habitat management scenarios. Occupancy probability and site colonization were low in all analysis units, and site persistence was also low, suggesting low resiliency and redundancy currently. Extinction probability was high for all analysis units in all simulated scenarios except one with significant effort to preserve existing habitat, suggesting low future re siliency and redundancy. With the results of these data analyses and predictive models, the USFWS concluded that protections of the Endangered Species Act were warranted for this subspecies

Determination of freedom-from-rabies for small Indian mongoose populations in the United States Virgin Islands, 2019–2020

Mongooses, a nonnative species, are a known reservoir of rabies virus in the Caribbean region. A cross-sectional study of mongooses at 41 field sites on the US Virgin Islands of St. Croix, St. John, and St. Thomas captured 312 mongooses (32% capture rate). We determined the absence of rabies virus by antigen testing and rabies virus exposure by antibody testing in mongoose populations on all three islands. USVI is the first Caribbean state to determine freedom-from-rabies for its mongoose populations with a scientifically-led robust cross-sectional study. Ongoing surveillance activities will determine if other domestic and wildlife populations in USVI are rabies-free

LSST: from Science Drivers to Reference Design and Anticipated Data Products

(Abridged) We describe here the most ambitious survey currently planned in the optical, the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST). A vast array of science will be enabled by a single wide-deep-fast sky survey, and LSST will have unique survey capability in the faint time domain. The LSST design is driven by four main science themes: probing dark energy and dark matter, taking an inventory of the Solar System, exploring the transient optical sky, and mapping the Milky Way. LSST will be a wide-field ground-based system sited at Cerro Pach\'{o}n in northern Chile. The telescope will have an 8.4 m (6.5 m effective) primary mirror, a 9.6 deg$^2$ field of view, and a 3.2 Gigapixel camera. The standard observing sequence will consist of pairs of 15-second exposures in a given field, with two such visits in each pointing in a given night. With these repeats, the LSST system is capable of imaging about 10,000 square degrees of sky in a single filter in three nights. The typical 5$\sigma$ point-source depth in a single visit in $r$ will be $\sim 24.5$ (AB). The project is in the construction phase and will begin regular survey operations by 2022. The survey area will be contained within 30,000 deg$^2$ with $\delta<+34.5^\circ$, and will be imaged multiple times in six bands, $ugrizy$, covering the wavelength range 320--1050 nm. About 90\% of the observing time will be devoted to a deep-wide-fast survey mode which will uniformly observe a 18,000 deg$^2$ region about 800 times (summed over all six bands) during the anticipated 10 years of operations, and yield a coadded map to $r\sim27.5$. The remaining 10\% of the observing time will be allocated to projects such as a Very Deep and Fast time domain survey. The goal is to make LSST data products, including a relational database of about 32 trillion observations of 40 billion objects, available to the public and scientists around the world.Comment: 57 pages, 32 color figures, version with high-resolution figures available from https://www.lsst.org/overvie

Mongooses (\u3ci\u3eUrva auropunctata\u3c/i\u3e) as reservoir hosts of leptospira species in the United States Virgin Islands, 2019–2020

During 2019–2020, the Virgin Islands Department of Health investigated potential animal reservoirs of Leptospira spp., the bacteria that cause leptospirosis. In this cross-sectional study, we investigated Leptospira spp. exposure and carriage in the small Indian mongoose (Urva auropunctata, syn: Herpestes auropunctatus), an invasive animal species. This study was conducted across the three main islands of the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI), which are St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John. We used the microscopic agglutination test (MAT), fluorescent antibody test (FAT), real-time polymerase chain reaction (lipl32 rt-PCR), and bacterial culture to evaluate serum and kidney specimens and compared the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of these laboratory meth-ods. Mongooses (n = 274) were live-trapped at 31 field sites in ten regions across USVI and humanely euthanized for Leptospira spp. testing. Bacterial isolates were sequenced and evaluated for species and phylogenetic analysis using the ppk gene. Anti-Leptospira spp. antibodies were detected in 34% (87/256) of mongooses. Reactions were observed with the following serogroups: Sejroe, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Pyrogenes, Mini, Cynopteri, Australis, Hebdomadis, Autumnalis, Mankarso, Pomona, and Ballum. Of the kidney specimens exam-ined, 5.8% (16/270) were FAT-positive, 10% (27/274) were culture-positive, and 12.4% (34/ 274) were positive by rt-PCR. Of the Leptospira spp. isolated from mongooses, 25 were L. borgpetersenii, one was L. interrogans, and one was L. kirschneri. Positive predictive values of FAT and rt-PCR testing for predicting successful isolation of Leptospira by culture were 88% and 65%, respectively. The isolation and identification of Leptospira spp. in mongooses highlights the potential role of mongooses as a wildlife reservoir of leptospirosis; mongooses could be a source of Leptospira spp. infections for other wildlife, domestic animals, and humans

Social participation among older adults (55+): Results of a survey in the region of South Limburg in the Netherlands

Social participation may improve the health and well-being of older adults, and may increase the social and human capacity of their communities. This study investigates the level and forms of social participation among older adults (aged 55 years or older) in the region of South Limburg, the Netherlands, and their association with socio-demographic and health-related characteristics. The study provides evidence that can be used by policy makers to enhance social participation in the region. We use cross-sectional data collected in a survey in 2012 among a sample of older adults (aged 55 years or older) representative for the region of South Limburg. The results indicate that 56% (N = 16,291/weighted sample N = 213,332) of the older adults in the region participate in social activities. Specifically, 25.5% perform paid labour, 20% give informal care and 25% participate in volunteer work. Older adults with a higher education (OR = 2.49 for the highest education group) or higher income (OR = 1.70 for the highest income group) are significantly more likely to participate in social activities compared with the respective reference categories. Increased age (OR = 0.23 for the oldest age group), female gender (OR = 0.83), loneliness (OR = 0.75 for severe loneliness) and restrictions (OR = 0.78 for restrictions on the OECD scale, OR = 0.68 for restrictions on the HDL scale, OR = 0.52 for transportation restrictions) significantly hinder social participation. The lower social participation rate among older adults that we observe compared with the national statistics can be explained by the relatively higher proportion of people with low or average socioeconomic status in South Limburg. And as South Limburg is the unhealthiest region of the Netherlands, this also contributes to the low social participation. Prevention of poor physical and mental health, and provision of care services are important to encourage social participation among the older adults in South Limburg

Non-Trapping, Non-Invasive, Rapid Surveillance Sampling Using Tracking Tunnels, Trail Cameras, and eDNA to Determine Presence of Pest Predator Species

A common challenge for land managers is knowing which vertebrate pest species are present in areas they manage, especially if such areas are remote like isolated habitats, rugged terrain, or infrequently traveled islands. Most invasive predator species, such as feral dogs, cats, mongoose, and commensal rodents pose great threat to human health and key resources such as native species. Animal trapping to determine the presence of a pest species can be expensive and dangerous, requiring permits, experienced personnel, multiple days, and multiple trapping methods. Furthermore, many invasive pest species may go unnoticed because they are nocturnal, secretive, or leave little evidence of their presence. Tracking tunnels, trail cameras, and environmental DNA (eDNA) are non-trapping methods that can be used to rapidly assess if vertebrate pest species are present in a given habitat or ecosystem, including before, during, and after pest suppression techniques are implemented. We share tracking tunnel dimensions and specifications so readers can make their own tracking tunnels for rodent and other small mammal sampling, and we provide some common distributers where tracking tunnels can be purchased. A brief overview of trail camera technology and eDNA forensic uses are described, as well as their applications for vertebrate pest identification, surveillance, and damage management. To demonstrate these methods, we share example case studies from the Caribbean, including first time records of house mouse presence at Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge in St. Croix (US Virgin Islands) and along a rainforest elevation gradient in the Luquillo National Forest, Puerto Rico. Additionally, we describe case studies of trail camera use on Desecheo Island (Puerto Rico) to determine brodifacoum bait consumption, and eDNA use in Wyoming to determine native bird depredation events. Tracking tunnels and trail cameras are recommended as quick and inexpensive ways to reveal the vertebrate pest species that are present at a site or habitat. These non-trapping, non-invasive techniques can provide quick and efficient methods of surveillance, detection, and monitoring of vertebrate pests, and otherwise may be used as effective tools to aid in wildlife damage management

Non-Trapping, Non-Invasive, Rapid Surveillance Sampling Using Tracking Tunnels, Trail Cameras, and eDNA to Determine Presence of Pest Predator Species

A common challenge for land managers is knowing which vertebrate pest species are present in areas they manage, especially if such areas are remote like isolated habitats, rugged terrain, or infrequently traveled islands. Most invasive predator species, such as feral dogs, cats, mongoose, and commensal rodents pose great threat to human health and key resources such as native species. Animal trapping to determine the presence of a pest species can be expensive and dangerous, requiring permits, experienced personnel, multiple days, and multiple trapping methods. Furthermore, many invasive pest species may go unnoticed because they are nocturnal, secretive, or leave little evidence of their presence. Tracking tunnels, trail cameras, and environmental DNA (eDNA) are non-trapping methods that can be used to rapidly assess if vertebrate pest species are present in a given habitat or ecosystem, including before, during, and after pest suppression techniques are implemented. We share tracking tunnel dimensions and specifications so readers can make their own tracking tunnels for rodent and other small mammal sampling, and we provide some common distributers where tracking tunnels can be purchased. A brief overview of trail camera technology and eDNA forensic uses are described, as well as their applications for vertebrate pest identification, surveillance, and damage management. To demonstrate these methods, we share example case studies from the Caribbean, including first time records of house mouse presence at Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge in St. Croix (US Virgin Islands) and along a rainforest elevation gradient in the Luquillo National Forest, Puerto Rico. Additionally, we describe case studies of trail camera use on Desecheo Island (Puerto Rico) to determine brodifacoum bait consumption, and eDNA use in Wyoming to determine native bird depredation events. Tracking tunnels and trail cameras are recommended as quick and inexpensive ways to reveal the vertebrate pest species that are present at a site or habitat. These non-trapping, non-invasive techniques can provide quick and efficient methods of surveillance, detection, and monitoring of vertebrate pests, and otherwise may be used as effective tools to aid in wildlife damage management

Facilitators and barriers to the implementation of home instructions as perceived by caregivers of children with speech, language, and communication problems at De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute speech clinic

The study aimed to determine the perspectives of seven (7) caregivers of children with speech, language, and communication problems in De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences (DLSMHSI) Speech Clinic in terms of facilitators and barriers in home instruction implementation through phenomenological qualitative research. Convenience and snowball sampling were used to select the participants. Data was collected using a semi-structured interview and analyzed using inductive thematic analysis approach. The main themes identified were the facilitators and barriers and six (6) subthemes were established. This includes (1) self as facilitator (i.e., availability of the caregiver to facilitate homes instructions, caregiver’s knowledge on the importance of home instructions, caregiver’s intrinsic motivation, caregiver’s mastery in conducting home instructions), (2) others as facilitator (i.e., cooperation of family members, child’s positive behavior, child’s current skills and capabilities), (3) environment as facilitator (i.e., accessibility of teaching materials, clinician’s method of providing home instructions), (4) self as barrier (i.e., caregiver’s emotional conflict, caregiver’s uncertainties, availability of the caregiver to facilitate home instructions), (5) others as barrier (i.e., family conflict of interest, uninvited interference of others, child’s negative behavior, and (6) environment as barrier (i.e., clinician’s method of providing homes instructions. With this, the researchers were able to determine that the most common source of facilitator is the ‘environment,’ wherein the clinician’s method of providing home instructions was the most consistent facilitator among all participants. On the other hand, the most common source of barrier as perceived by the caregivers is ‘themselves’. This can be attributed to their reported uncertainties when it comes to conducting home instructions. Thus, it can be inferred that the environmental factors, particularly the method of providing home instructions, directly effects the caregiver’s personal factors, specifically the level of confidence of the caregiver in implementing home instructions