Gastrointestinal parasites of feral cats from Christmas Island

Objective To investigate the gastrointestinal parasites present in feral cats on Christmas Island, with particular interest in the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. Procedure Faecal and serum samples were collected from 28 and 25 cats respectively that were trapped as part of an ongoing eradication program being run on Christmas Island by the Department of Environment and Conservation. Faecal samples were screened microscopically for helminth and protozoan parasites. Serum samples were screened for antibodies to T gondii using a commercial indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and a latex agglutination test (LAT). Results The most common helminth parasites detected were Toxocara cati (present in 15 of 28 faecal samples), Strongyloides sp (13/28), Aelurostrongylus abstrusus, (7/28), an unidentified capillarid (6/28) and Ancylostoma sp (4/28). Based on serology, T gondii was the most common parasite detected (protozoan or otherwise) with antibodies detected in 24 serum samples by IFA and 23 serum samples by LAT. Conclusion Cats on Christmas Island harbour many of the helminth and protozoan parasites reported from feral cats elsewhere in Australia. The high seroprevalence of T gondii in these cats indicates a high level of exposure to the parasite in this environment

Tensor and Matrix Inversions with Applications

Higher order tensor inversion is possible for even order. We have shown that a tensor group endowed with the Einstein (contracted) product is isomorphic to the general linear group of degree $n$. With the isomorphic group structures, we derived new tensor decompositions which we have shown to be related to the well-known canonical polyadic decomposition and multilinear SVD. Moreover, within this group structure framework, multilinear systems are derived, specifically, for solving high dimensional PDEs and large discrete quantum models. We also address multilinear systems which do not fit the framework in the least-squares sense, that is, when the tensor has an odd number of modes or when the tensor has distinct dimensions in each modes. With the notion of tensor inversion, multilinear systems are solvable. Numerically we solve multilinear systems using iterative techniques, namely biconjugate gradient and Jacobi methods in tensor format

Teaching with Data in the Social Sciences at the University of Richmond

From Spring 2020 through Fall 2021, a team from UR participated in a multi-site study called “Teaching with Data in the Social Sciences” led by Ithaka S+R, a research and strategy organization that focuses on scholarly communication and libraries in higher education. Samantha Guss (Boatwright Library) and Ryan Brazell (Faculty Hub) interviewed 14 UR faculty, all of whom teach in social sciences disciplines or use social data, to learn more about faculty needs as they help their students build data literacy skills. The primary objective for participating in this study was to better understand UR faculty needs so that the Library and Faculty Hub can better support faculty who teach with data across the curriculum. Findings are presented in four themes

NASA

Issued as Final report, Project no. E-25-519Continued by Project no. E-25-546NASA/Universities Space Research Associatio

Tidal Influences on Bacterial and Phytoplankton Abundances and the Resulting Effects on Patterns of Dissolved Oxygen in the Skidaway River Estuary

Two studies were conducted to investigate the physical and biological processes contributing to the dissolved oxygen (DO) availability in the Skidaway River Estuary (SRE), Savannah, GA during the summer of 2005. A temporal study looked at changes in DO concentrations, Chlorophyll a concentrations, bacterial abundance, water depth, and salinity, every hour, for 26 hours, over both a neap and a spring tide. A spatial study looked at changes in the above variables at 5 sites along the SRE while following the tide inland during a neap high and low tide, and a spring high and low tide. DO concentrations varied between 3.82 and 5.98 mg O2/L during both studies. Statistical analysis results showed, temporally, physical variables had a stronger ability to predict behavior in DO than biological variables, and, spatially, there was a significant difference in DO between sites and between tides

Mobile work platform for initial lunar base construction

Described is a system of equipment intended for site preparation and construction of a lunar base. The proximate era of lunar exploration and the initial phase of outpost habitation are addressed. Drilling, leveling, trenching, and cargo handling are within the scope of the system's capabilities. The centerpiece is a three-legged mobile work platform, named SKITTER. Using standard interfaces, the system is modular in nature and analogous to the farmer's tractor and implement set. Conceptually somewhat different from their Earthbound counterparts, the implements are designed to take advantage of the lunar environment as well as the capabilities of the work platform. The proposed system is mechanically simple and weight efficient

Seismic record of West Antarctic Ice Sheet dynamics during the late Oligocene to early Miocene in the Eastern Basin, Ross Sea

The Antarctic cryosphere is an important driver of global climate change and ocean circulation. The Antarctic Ice Sheet is comprised of the stable, terrestrially-based East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) and the marine-based West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) that may be prone to a collapse that would contribute over 3 m to global sea level rise. The Antarctic Ice Sheets have unique evolutionary histories and understanding how they have influenced and been influenced by global changes through the Cenozoic will yield a more robust understanding of their response to future climate change. 98% of Antarctica is currently covered in ice, posing challenges for investigators. Much of our understanding of the evolution of the Antarctic cryosphere has been developed from far field oxygen isotope records of global temperature and ice volume change; however, more direct records of Antarctic Ice Sheet dynamics from the continent and margin conflict with interpretations derived from these records. The Ross Sea embayment in Antarctic drains ~25% of the continent, receives input from both the EAIS and WAIS and contains a thick section of Cenozoic deposits, making it an important location to investigate the evolution of the Antarctic cryosphere. The Eastern Basin, Ross Sea contains a thick section of Cenozoic strata that records the evolution of the WAIS. This study reexamines legacy and recent seismic reflection data and uses spectral attribute analysis to enhance the resolution of the datasets. I document spectral decomposition techniques that enhance the temporal resolution of multi-channel seismic profiles. Using the spectral decomposition technique, I develop a higher resolution, third-order sequence stratigraphic model of late Oligocene to early Miocene sequences within the Eastern Basin to test hypotheses about the evolution of the WAIS. I identify evidence of an expanding late Oligocene WAIS and waning ice volumes during the early Miocene. Using seismic-stratigraphic stacking patterns, I correlated relative sea level fluctuations recorded in the Eastern Basin to global eustatic and oxygen isotope events and refined chronostratigraphic correlations of regional horizons and unconformities. These findings have important implications for the initiation and evolution of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet during the late Paleogene and early Neogene.Doctor of Philosoph

公開講演 阿修羅の変容 ―須弥山の海から日本の舞台まで―

In early Indian mythology hosts of demon-like beings called asura constantly emerge from the depths of the sea to do battle with the god-like deva residing on the slopes of Mt. Sumeru. On the medieval Japanese noh stage the lonely ghost of a young, noble warrior dances out the landscape of the asura realm. These two images are radically different not only in their form, but in terms of the underlying concepts they represent. This talk describes some of the characteristics of the asura as the concept developed in both the Vedic-Hindu and the Buddhist traditions and then suggests ways in which these ideas and images where adapted into Japanese culture.The asura, who may have originally been the human opponents of the Aryan race as they crossed over the Indian subcontinent, were transformed in Vedic times into cosmic beings whose role was to oppose the deva. These two classes of beings constantly battled, and in later Hindu and Buddhist texts the battles came to represent the theory of kaplic cycles the asura become ascendant as the destruction of the world intensifies. Particular battles between asura and deva continued to be described in early Buddhist texts, where they were used as parables to explain aspects of Buddhist doctrine or practice. However, the major function of the asura was opposition to the Hindu deities, and in Buddhism that function was fulfilled by Mara. Consequently Buddhism finds a new function for the asura: it converts them and makes them into protectors of the faith. In Buddhism the asura homelands were also transformed from beautiful citadels under the sea into one of the realms to which reborn human spirits transmigrate.The asura eventually found a home in Japanese culture. Sculptures depicted asura as the protectors of Buddhism: setsuwa described them as figures of opposition: painting, etoki, and pure land Buddhist tracts developed the idea of the shura realm of transmigration. And gradually the asura took on more Japanese identities. They joined the ranks of tengu and other oni to interfere in the course of Japanese history, and they became identified with angry spirits who needed to be pacified. The asura realm became a specialized place for the spirits of dead warriors to suffer in battle until they finally achieved enlightenment. Hence, the image of the cosmic asura was transformed into the figure of the medieval warrior, and the asura battles, which originally functioned as a symbol of opposition, were metamorphosed into a symbol of the warrior\u27s world of samsara. External, impersonal battles between two classes of cosmic beings became the very personal, internal struggles of an individual attempting to realize enlightenment