Evaluating alternative macroinvertebrate sampling methodologies in wetlands: Influence of sieve mesh size on relationships between environmental and assemblage variables

By definition, a macroinvertebrate is any invertebrate that is large enough to be retained on a 500-õm mesh sieve. Although macroinvertebrates (hereafter invertebrates) are important in food webs and sensitive to environmental conditions, they are often omitted from wetland condition monitoring programs because use of this fine-mesh sieve makes sample collection and processing time consuming and expensive. The objective of this study was to identify a more cost-effective approach for obtaining invertebrate-based data that can be used to evaluate wetland condition. In 2014 and 2015, invertebrates and associated particulate matter (PM; living and dead plants, sediment) were collected from 27 wetlands in the Iowa Prairie Pothole Region using a stovepipe sampler. Sample material retained on a 500-õm mesh sieve was preserved. In the laboratory, samples were washed through a series of sieves that separated invertebrates and particulate matter into four size fractions. The 6-mm fraction included material retained on the 6-mm sieve, the 4-mm fraction included material retained on both 4- and 6-mm sieves, the 2-mm size fraction included material retained on 2-, 4-, and 6-mm sieves, and the 500-õm fraction was the sum total of material retained on 2-, 4-, 6-, and 500-õm sieves (i.e., the entire sample). Volume of each sample size fraction and time required to separate invertebrates from PM were recorded. Invertebrates were identified to family (mollusks, insects, isopods), order (amphipods, decapods), or class (annelids), and numbers of individuals were recorded. Subsequently, invertebrates were again washed through the sieve column in the absence of PM, and organisms in each size fraction were identified and counted. Values for invertebrate numerical density and taxon richness variables were quantified for each of the four invertebrate size fractions and when PM was present (+ PM) and absent (- PM). Invertebrate assemblage variables were related to environmental variables indicative of wetland condition (e.g., turbidity, chloride concentration, fish biomass, tiger salamander abundance, plant cover). Relationship strengths were affected by sieve mesh size, invertebrate variable measured, and presence or absence of PM in samples. Across the entire gradient of sieve mesh sizes and PM abundance, invertebrate taxon richness variables were more consistently and strongly related to environmental variables than invertebrate density variables. Regardless of sieve mesh size and PM presence, invertebrate taxon richness exclusive of four taxa recorded in every wetland (planorbid snails, oligochaetes, leeches, chironomid midges; TTR-PEOC) was positively correlated with plant cover and negatively correlated with turbidity and fish biomass. Use of a 2-mm, 4-mm, or 6-mm mesh sieve reduced sample volume by 19-35% and time required to separate invertebrates from PM by 36-54%, relative to use of a 500-õm mesh sieve. Results presented here indicate that use of an invertebrate taxon richness metric in which ubiquitous taxa are eliminated from analysis, and using a sieve mesh size of 6 mm, will generate cost savings in wetland monitoring while still producing data that accurately reflect wetland condition

Context-Aware Prediction of Derivational Word-forms

Derivational morphology is a fundamental and complex characteristic of language. In this paper we propose the new task of predicting the derivational form of a given base-form lemma that is appropriate for a given context. We present an encoder--decoder style neural network to produce a derived form character-by-character, based on its corresponding character-level representation of the base form and the context. We demonstrate that our model is able to generate valid context-sensitive derivations from known base forms, but is less accurate under a lexicon agnostic setting

Fumigation of Burrowing Rodents with Carbon Monoxide: A Comparison to Alternative Management Options

Pocket gophers and ground squirrels cause extensive damage to many crops. Pressurized exhaust injection devices are increasingly used for managing these rodents, although no data were available to support their use. Therefore, we established a study to: 1) determine the efficacy of pressurized exhaust machines for pocket gopher and ground squirrel management, 2) compare these results to other burrow fumigant options, and 3) compare their cost effectiveness. Specifically, we tested two different pressurized exhaust machines for both ground squirrels and pocket gophers: Pressurized Exhaust Rodent Controller (PERC), and 2) Cheetah rodent control machine. For California ground squirrels, efficacy for the PERC machine was greater in moist soils (mean = 100%) than in drier soils (mean = 66%). Initial treatments using the PERC machine were more expensive than other burrow fumigation options, given the large cost of the machine. However, costs quickly dropped below that of gas cartridges (~44 days), and eventually dropped below that of aluminum phosphide if used extensively (~830 days). Efficacy for the Cheetah rodent control machine was far less encouraging for California ground squirrels, with results showing increased squirrel numbers at treatment sites (mean = +115%) post-treatment. For pocket gophers, aluminum phosphide (mean = 86%) and trapping (mean = 81%) proved to be more effective than PERC applications (mean = 56%) in heavy organic soils. We observed somewhat greater PERC efficacy in mineral soils (mean = 68%), suggesting potential variability in efficacy across soil types. At this point, the use of the PERC machine appears to be a viable option for inclusion into Integrated Pest Management programs for burrowing rodents where alternative options are limited; the Cheetah rodent control machine showed no utility for ground squirrel management in our study. More extensive testing of pressurized exhaust devices in differing soil types and under variable moisture levels is needed to determine their utility across a broader spectrum of treatment situations

The Burqa Ban: Legal Precursors for Denmark, American Experiences and Experiments, and Philosophical and Critical Examinations

As the title of the article suggests, “The Burqa Ban”: Legal Precursors for Denmark, American Experiences and Experiments, and Philosophical and Critical Examinations, the authors embark on a factually investigative as well as a reflective response. More precisely, they use The 2018 Danish “Burqa Ban”: Joining a European Trend and Sending a National Message (published as a concurrent but separate article in this issue of INTERNATIONAL STUDIES JOURNAL) as a platform for further analysis and discussion of different perspectives. These include case-law at the international level while focusing attention on recent rulings and judicial reasoning by the ECtHR and the ECJ; critical thought-experiments in religion, morality, human rights, and the democratic public space; a contextualized account of burqa-wearing interventions by federal and state governments and, moreover, various courts in the United States; and philosophical commentary and, in some instances, criticism of the Danish and/or European (French, etc.) approach. The different contributions have different aims. The section on case-law at the international level reports on those central judgments that, in effect, helped to pave the path for the Kingdom of Denmark’s burqa ban. Concerning the concurring judges at the ECtHR, the opinions served to uphold a preexisting ban and to grant a wide margin of appreciation to the national authorities, thereby limiting the Court’s own review. As regards to the ECJ, the legality of company rules that contain a policy of neutrality for the workplace was examined, with a similar outcome. The authors who discuss religion, morality, human rights and the democratic public space are endeavoring to, respectively, appeal to ethics as a testing stone for law and to both challenge and address several forms of “expressivist worry” in connection with face veils. In doing so, the authors ask a number of thought-provoking questions that hopefully will inspire public policymakers to careful analysis. While the section that is devoted to American perspectives highlights a comprehensive survey of political and legal responses to, in particular, full-face veils like the burqa, the relevant author also incorporates public perceptions and, in the course of examining these, draws a parallel to “the fate” of the hoodie. The constitutionality of burqa-wearing in America, so it also appears, is partially an open question, but differentiating between religious, political, or personal reasons is a de jure premise. Given that the Danish legislators who drafted law L 219 to ban burqa-wearing in public places rely on a reference to political Islam, they relegate religious and personal reasons to the private domain, thereby also adopting secularism as a premise. This is explored in the last author response of the article, more precisely, in an account of the underlying materialism that, in turn, is applied to Muslim women. If policymakers and legislators engaged in Thinking Things Through exercises, they could, as a minimum, avoid law-making strategies that are not in the spirit of the theory they themselves invoke, albeit tacitly. While the aim of, as it were, arresting culturally self-contradicting legislators is unique for the section in question, all the authors who contribute to the joint research project have one end-goal in common, namely to inform about important perspectives while at the same time opening up for parameters for (more) fruitful, constructive and (if need be) critical debate in the future. With this in mind, four recommendations are presented by the research director for the project. Legally, politically, socially and culturally, conflict-resolution should not translate the relationship between rulers and the ruled into a separation ideology, an instance of controllers versus the controlled. All things being equal, that is the objective limit for a democratic society

Novel and current rodenticides for pocket gopher \u3ci\u3eThomomys\u3c/i\u3e spp. management in vineyards: what works?

BACKGROUND: Rodenticides are often included as part of an integrated pest management approach for managing pocket gophers (Thomomys spp.) given that they are relatively quick and inexpensive to apply. Strychnine has historically been the most effective toxicant for pocket gophers, but its use is currently limited in the United States; alternative registered toxicants have not proven effective. Recent research with baits containing cholecalciferol plus anticoagulant toxicants proved effective against pocket gophers in a lab setting. Therefore, we established a field study to compare cholecalciferol plus anticoagulant combinations [0.03% cholecalciferol plus 0.005% diphacinone (C+D), 0.015% cholecalciferol plus 0.0025% brodifacoum (C+B1), 0.03% cholecalciferol plus 0.0025% brodifacoum (C+B2)] with strychnine (0.5%) for pocket gopher management. RESULTS: Strychnine treatments resulted in100%efficacy after two treatment periods. Both C+DandC+B2 resulted in efficacy significantly greater than 70% after two treatment periods (83 and 75% respectively). Efficacy from C+B1 (85%) was not significantly greater than 70%, but did yield high overall efficacy as well. CONCLUSION: Although strychnine remains the most effective rodenticide for pocket gopher control, the cholecalciferol plus anticoagulant baits tested would be a good alternative when strychnine is unavailable. C+Dmay be the best option given that it uses a first-generation anticoagulant as the synergist

Comparing Polytechnic and Liberal Arts Institutions: Leaks in the System

The United States has long been a pioneer in higher education, yet the last few decades have proven challenging in maintaining its lead in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields (STEM). Students entering postsecondary education and participating in a STEM degree face increased academic rigor and this study’s goal is to better understand factors that influence their retention. There are many psychosocial, environmental, and academic variables that may impact a student’s retention and this study aims to investigate how those variables inform a students likelihood of being retained and if there are meaningful differences between polytechnic and non-polytechnic institutions

Remember You Are Mortal: A Historical Reading of Pindar’s Olympian 1

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the historical context of Pindar’s Olympian 1, the myths and adaptations that Pindar utilizes, and the overarching didactic and cautionary lessons meant for Hieron, Pindar’s benefactor. After I establish the historical context, I argue that the poet attempts to warn Hieron about potential revolt through his rendition of the Tantalus myth. In addition, by beginning his ode with a priamel; juxtaposing the actions of Tantalus with those of Pelops; and ending with the hope that Hieron will win a chariot race, Pindar advises Hieron to avoid hubris. Lastly, I claim that Hieron later redeemed himself in the eyes of the poet by analyzing the shift of Pindar’s poetic methods and didactic lessons in Pythian 1, given six years later. Pindar portrays Hieron as a virtuous king who has received—and will continue to receive—glory on account of his international reputation as a harbinger of peace.Master of Art

Utility of Visual Counts for Determining Efficacy of Management Tools for California Ground Squirrels

Visual counts are frequently used to assess efficacy of management tools for ground squirrels (Marmotini), but the effectiveness of this approach has not been assessed for many ground squirrel species including California ground squirrels (Otospermophilus spp.). As such, we used visual counts of California ground squirrels to determine the efficacy of diphacinone-treated oat groat applications in rangelands in central California, USA, and compared those results to efficacy values derived from the use of radio-collared ground squirrels in the same plots. We also used location data of radio-collared ground squirrels to explore the size of buffer zone needed around census plots to provide an accurate assessment of efficacy when using visual counts. We did not observe a difference in efficacy associated with the 2 monitoring strategies, indicating that visual counts are an effective monitoring tool for ground squirrels. We observed low efficacy in 2 treatment plots, likely due to low usage of those plots by ground squirrels. Increasing the size of buffer zones would increase the usage of treatment areas by the target population and would help to minimize reinvasion by adjacent ground squirrel populations, which could bias efficacy values low. We suggest a minimum of a 61-m buffer surrounding census plots. Increasing to 66 m or more would further benefit efficacy assessments, but increased size of the buffer zone must be balanced with greater costs and regulatory constraints