Estimating Cattle Density Using Wildlife Cameras

Quantifying the abundance and distribution of animal populations is critical for effective wildlife research and management. Due to their cost-effectiveness, wildlife cameras have become an increasingly popular tool for estimating population densities. Previously, this technique relied on ‘capture-recapture’ models that utilized re-sightings of individually marked animals, but in recent years methods have been developed to estimate the population densities of unmarked animals. One such method is the random encounter and staying time (REST) technique, which does this by assuming that the cumulative time animals stay within the view of the camera scales linearly with the number of individuals. This allows for a density estimate without the need to determine individual identity. To evaluate the accuracy and precision of the REST method, I compared cattle (Bos taurus) density estimates based on trail-camera photos to the actual number of cattle stocked on a U.S. Forest Service (USFS) grazing allotment. Photos were collected across 96 motion-activated cameras distributed across a single grazing allotment in Spanish Fork, Utah. Based on the USFS grazing plan, the allotment operated under a rest-rotation grazing system, and therefore was divided into three pastures, only one of which held cattle at any given time in the year. Based on this plan cattle numbers also varied throughout the year according to a set schedule. For each stocking period and pasture, we generated REST-based abundance estimates, including empirical confidence bounds derived using either spatial or temporal averaging. Our results indicate very poor agreement between REST-based estimates and USFS stocking rates, where, at the allotment level, the former are typically 50-350% higher than the latter. Whether this indicates REST-based estimates are biased or inaccurate is hard to say; there is no doubt our cameras had detected cows (sometimes a lot of cows) in places and times that no cows should have been in based on USFS records. We thus have little confidence in the reliability of these records. As for precision, coefficient of variation values for our estimates ranged between 0.1 and 0.5 (depending on the number of active camera days used to calculate the estimate, and on whether densities were averaged across space or across time). This indicates that REST-based estimates are at least precise enough to be reasonably consistent across time (and to a lesser degree, space), and may hence be a valuable tool at the hand of wildlife managers

Letter from Lewis D. Bonebrake

Letter concerning programs in domestic science and agriculture in Ohio

Mold In Buildings: Issues and Outcomes

Executive Summary This article will provide an introduction to mold species most commonly found in buildings, and will present potential health and safety effects of such species. Prevention and reasons behind growth of mold in facilities will be discussed, giving examples of both construction and operation prevention techniques. Finally, remediation guidelines and highlights will be presented. These topics will provide a basic understanding of current mold issues, allowing one to fully engage in discussion of the subsequent sections, where current legal issues involved with mold will be presented along with cases dealing with physical, legal, and financial implications of mold in buildings

A mixed method phenomenological case study of how members of a democratic micro school experience leadership and democratic principles

A democratic micro school is a school with fewer than 150 students that ascribes to a democratic leadership structure where all of the school community members, especially the students, have leadership in their learning. The purpose of this study was to develop a better understanding of the lived experiences of the members of a democratic micro school community, especially regarding leadership and democratic principles. The primary researcher used a mixed-method design with an embedded phenomenological case study to analyze a single democratic micro school. All primary stakeholders in the school community were subjects of this study which included the students, parents, and educators. The data collection process included a survey, focus groups, interviews, observations, and other school artifacts. Using six democratic principles and the LMX theory, this study to added to the literature by addressing the experiences of those individuals attending independent schools. Achieving democracy in school allows students and teachers to have control of their learning experiences. This study supported the importance of communication and trust and caring as the educational foundation upon which equity, curriculum and interests, vision and goals, and community relied. Future research could expand the understanding of democratic micro schools beyond the single case used in this study.Includes bibliographical reference

Outcomes of pregnancies complicated by maternal tuberous sclerosis

We present three cases of maternal tuberous sclerosis without major complications in pregnancy and several other patients who delivered with a low risk obstetrician, from this we conclude that maternal tuberous sclerosis may not be as high risk for pregnancy as previously reported in the literature. Tuberous sclerosis (TS) is a genetic disorder that is inherited in an autosomal dominant fashion with variable clinical manifestations including seizures, mental retardation, renal failure and pneumothorax. This case series can aid obstetricians in counseling of patients with this rare disorder