Topography and disturbance influence trait‐based composition and productivity of adjacent habitats in a coastal system

Coastal systems experience frequent disturbance and multiple environmental stressors over short spatial and temporal scales. Investigating functional traits in coastal systems has the potential to inform how variation in disturbance frequency and environmental variables influence differences in trait‐based community composition and ecosystem function. Our goals were to (1) quantify trait‐based communities on two barrier islands divergent in topography and long‐term disturbance response and (2) determine relationships between community trait‐based composition and ecosystem productivity. We hypothesized that locations documented with high disturbance would have habitats with similar environmental conditions and trait‐based communities, with the opposite relationship in low‐disturbance locations. Furthermore, we expected higher productivity and lower site‐to‐site variation with low disturbance. Functional traits, biomass, and environmental metrics (soil salinity, elevation, and distance to shoreline) were collected and analyzed for two habitat types (dune and swale) on two Virginia barrier islands. Our results show that trait‐based community composition differed among habitat types and was related to disturbance. Habitats exhibited more similarity on the high‐disturbance island in both trait‐based composition and environmental variables. Conversely, the low‐disturbance island habitats were more dissimilar. We found the habitat with the lowest disturbance had the highest ecosystem productivity and had trait‐based communities indicative of highly competitive environments, while the high‐disturbance trait‐based communities were influenced by traits that indicate rapid recovery and growth. Site‐to‐site variation was similar in all dune habitats but differed among inter‐island swale habitats that varied in disturbance. These results highlight the importance of incorporating trait‐based analyses when approaching questions about community structure and ecosystem productivity in disturbance‐mediated habitats, such as coastal systems

Importance of Best Guesses in Emergency Situations

During emergency situations, such as natural disasters or the current pandemic, there may not be immediate access to research-based information or information may be nonexistent or conflicting. In such scenarios, Extension personnel may be required to make best guesses based on “what is known so far.” Depending on the urgency of the situation, Extension personnel should draw on opinions and expertise from diverse networks of people and resources before making a best guess. When making a best guess, the Extension professional should follow up to determine whether any information disseminated and recommendations made were correct or not. In either case, the result should be made known

Interlot, intralot, and time variations in pH of commercially available artificial tears

This study examines the stability and range of pH in several commercially available artificial tear preparations. pH immediately upon opening varies between 6.4 and 8.5 among the preparations. pH fluctuation was not found to occur in five of the seven preparations. The pH of one lot of a multiple use artificial tear decreased 0.4 units during the first week and then remained stable for the following 21 days. pH was found to vary by 0.5 units between lots in one brand of a single use artificial tear preparation. These results allow for informed selection of artificial tears in the treatment of dry eye

Building Excellence in Scientific Teaching: How Important Is the Evidence for Evidence-Based Teaching when Training STEM TAs?

Evidence-based teaching practices (EBTP)—like inquiry-based learning, inclusive teaching, and active learning (AL)—have been shown to benefit all students, especially women, first-generation, and traditionally minoritized students in science fields. However, little research has focused on how best to train teaching assistants (TAs) to use EBTP or on which components of professional development are most important. We designed and experimentally manipulated a series of presemester workshops on AL, dividing subjects into two groups. The Activity group worked in teams to learn an AL technique with a workshop facilitator. These teams then modeled the activity, with their peers acting as students. In the Evidence group, facilitators modeled the activities with all TAs acting as students. We used a mixed-methods research design (specifically, concurrent triangulation) to interpret pre- and postworkshop and postsemester survey responses. We found that Evidence group participants reported greater knowledge of AL after the workshop than Activity group participants. Activity group participants, on the other hand, found all of the AL techniques more useful than Evidence group participants. These results suggest that actually modeling AL techniques made them more useful to TAs than simply experiencing the same techniques as students—even with the accompanying evidence. This outcome has broad implications for how we provide professional development sessions to TAs and potentially to faculty

SN 2013ej - A type IIL supernova with weak signs of interaction

We present optical photometric and spectroscopic observations of supernova 2013ej. It is one of the brightest type II supernovae exploded in a nearby ($\sim 10$ Mpc) galaxy NGC 628. The light curve characteristics are similar to type II SNe, but with a relatively shorter ($\sim85$ day) and steeper ($\sim1.7$ mag (100 d)$^{-1}$ in V) plateau phase. The SN shows a large drop of 2.4 mag in V band brightness during plateau to nebular transition. The absolute ultraviolet (UV) light curves are identical to SN 2012aw, showing a similar UV plateau trend extending up to 85 days. The radioactive $^{56}$Ni mass estimated from the tail luminosity is $0.02$M$_{\odot}$ which is significantly lower than typical type IIP SNe. The characteristics of spectral features and evolution of line velocities indicate that SN 2013ej is a type II event. However, light curve characteristics and some spectroscopic features provide strong support in classifying it as a type IIL event. A detailed SYNOW modelling of spectra indicates the presence of some high velocity components in H$\alpha$ and H$\beta$ profiles, implying possible ejecta-CSM interaction. The nebular phase spectrum shows an unusual notch in the H$\alpha$ emission which may indicate bipolar distribution of $^{56}$Ni. Modelling of the bolometric light curve yields a progenitor mass of $\sim14$M$_{\odot}$ and a radius of $\sim450$R$_{\odot}$, with a total explosion energy of $\sim2.3\times10^{51}$ erg.Comment: 19 pages, 19 figures, 6 tables. Accepted for publication in Ap

The burden of hospitalized sports-related injuries in children: An Australian population-based study, 2005–2013

Background There is concern about recent increase and severity of sports-related injuries in children. Despite the benefits of sports participation, injuries may carry long-term health consequences. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence, characteristics and types of hospitalized sports-related injuries in children. Methods Population-based study of all acute sports-related injuries requiring hospitalization in children 5 to 15 years of age in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, 2005–2013. Health information was obtained from the NSW Admitted Patient Data Collection, a census of all hospital admissions from public and private hospitals. Children with a recorded ICD10-AM injury code (S00-T79) and sport-related activity code (U50-U70) were included. Prevalence and trend in injuries by age group, sporting code, body region affected and type of injury were assessed. Results There was a total of 20,034 hospitalizations for sports-related injuries (2.7% of all hospitalizations in children aged 5–15 years), involving 21,346 recorded injuries in 19,576 children. The overall population hospitalization period prevalence was 227 per 100,000 children aged 5–15 years in 2005–2013, remaining stable over time (RR 0.99; 95% CI 0.98–1.00). Football codes such as rugby league/union and soccer combined represented nearly two thirds of the total (60%). The most common body regions affected were the forearm (31%) head (15%) and hand injuries (13%). Fractures accounted for 65% of injuries followed by dislocations (10%) and traumatic brain injury (10%). Compared to other age groups, children aged 5–8 years had double the proportion of shoulder (15% vs. 7%) while 13–15 year olds had higher proportion of lower-leg (14% vs. 8%) and knee (6% vs.2%) injuries. One in seven injuries sustained while playing rugby league/union, baseball and hockey were traumatic brain injuries. A total of 444 (2.2%) of children had more than one hospitalization for sports-related injuries. Conclusion On average, six children were hospitalized every day for sports-related injuries in the last decade with trends remaining stable. The most common sports involved were football codes, one in three injuries involved the forearm and two thirds were fractures. These findings can be used to inform health policy and sporting governing bodies to target preventive interventions and promote safe sports participation in children

Temporal Heterogeneity of Water Quality from Rural Water Supplies in Alabama

Temporal and spatial trends for key water quality measures were evaluated in 12 rural drinking water systems within a threecounty study area in Alabama. The water systems varied in size from very small (25–500 people served) to large (10,001–100,000 people served). Large-volume water samples were collected from 10 diverse locations within each system on three sampling dates. Sampling locations were assigned to one of five location categories: well, post-treatment, post-storage, in-line, and endline. Water quality parameters (i.e., free and total chlorine, pH, turbidity, pressure, heterotrophic plate count) and microbial indicators (i.e., total coliforms, Escherichia coli, Enterococci, male-specific coliphages) were analyzed for spatial and temporal trends. Analysis of the samples from these rural water systems over nine months did not show a statistically significant association between distribution system sampling locations and water quality measures or microbial indicators. Temporal trends were consistent across sampling locations and were stronger than trends in spatial variability. However, substantial temporal heterogeneity of water quality measures was noted, potentially the result of seasonality, temperature fluctuations, and distribution system operation and maintenance practices. The study results indicate that system-level sampling efforts intended to inform microbial risk assessments must account for variability in indicators of risk over time

A Process Model of the U.S. Federal Perspective on STEM

Although advocacy for better science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education has a long and distinguished history in the United States, the recent emphasis has included strong rhetoric and concomitant funding. Policy makers legislate as though STEM is clearly defined. Yet, the concept remains nebulous, which limits the nation’s capacity to act in a strong and uniformed manner to address societal challenges. In this study, the authors used grounded theory methods to synthesize and interpret the federal perspective that defines STEM in the United States. The resulting theory is a model that includes five core processes: recruitment, recapture, retention, quality assurance, and quality control. These processes interact to support the system in achieving its goal of producing a qualified future workforce. Such a model has implications for advancing the overall goals of STEM as well as further research and development on the components of the model itself

Associations between Self-Reported Gastrointestinal Illness and Water System Characteristics in Community Water Supplies in Rural Alabama: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Community water supplies in underserved areas of the United States may be associated with increased microbiological contamination and risk of gastrointestinal disease. Microbial and health risks affecting such systems have not been systematically characterized outside outbreak investigations. The objective of the study was to evaluate associations between self-reported gastrointestinal illnesses (GII) and household-level water supply characteristics.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of water quality, water supply characteristics, and GII in 906 households served by 14 small and medium-sized community water supplies in Alabama’s underserved Black Belt region.Results: We identified associations between respondent-reported water supply interruption and any symptoms of GII (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 3.01, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.65– 5.49), as well as low water pressure and any symptoms of GII (aOR: 4.51, 95% CI = 2.55– 7.97). We also identified associations between measured water quality such as lack of total chlorine and any symptoms of GII (aOR: 5.73, 95% CI = 1.09–30.1), and detection of E. coli in water samples and increased reports of vomiting (aOR: 5.01, 95% CI = 1.62–15.52) or diarrhea (aOR: 7.75, 95% CI = 2.06–29.15).Conclusions: Increased self-reported GII was associated with key water system characteristics as measured at the point of sampling in a cross-sectional study of small and medium water systems in rural Alabama in 2012 suggesting that these water supplies can contribute to endemic gastro-intestinal disease risks. Future studies should focus on further characterizing and managing microbial risks in systems facing similar challenges