Detection And Microhabitat Use Of The Cryptic Patch-nosed Salamander (Urspelerpes Brucei) In Three Occupied Streams

Patch-nosed Salamanders (Urspelerpes brucei) are tiny (25.76 ± 0.17 mm [SE] snout-vent length) plethodontids endemic to headwater streams in a small (29 km2 at the time of our study) geographic region of northeast Georgia (GA) and northwest South Carolina (SC). Due to its secretive nature and recent discovery (2007), little is known about U. bruceihabitat, life history, or potential threats. Though environmental DNA (eDNA), aquatic leaf litter bags, and opportunistic active searches are successful detection techniques for U. brucei, and other factors influencing detection are unknown. Additionally, while occupied U. brucei streams have been characterized as shallow and steep-walled, previous work has not identified factors that influence U. brucei microhabitat use among patches within a single occupied stream. In Chapter 1, we applied six survey methods in three streams where U. brucei occur using a randomized complete block design and replicated each survey technique six times between August 2021 and June 2022. We used occupancy models to simultaneously investigate factors influencing U. brucei occupancy within a 5-m stream segment while estimating detection probability for each survey method and across a range of other survey-specific conditions. We found aquatic and terrestrial area-unconstrained surveys were at least 3.25 times better at detecting U. brucei than aquatic area-constrained surveys, while cloudless skies, recent rainfall amounts (\u3e 5 cm in the previous week), and higher soil temperatures (≥ 20 °C) were positively associated with detection. Chapter 2 describes our finer scale analysis where we used occupancy models to investigate factors influencing U. brucei microhabitat use at the scale of a 31 x 31 cm patch. Notably, we used a subset of field data collected in Chapter 1 for analysis in Chapter 2. We found leaf litter accumulationrepresented the primary driver of microhabitat use for both U. brucei larvae and adults. Specifically, for larvae, shallow stream depths (≤ 4 mm) and deep leaf litter (≥ 70 mm) was the best predictor for microhabitat use, whereas adults had the highest probability of using microhabitat consisting of leaf litter depths ≥ 111 mm. Collectively, our findings emphasize the success of area-unconstrained surveys and leaf litter bag surveys under ideal weather conditions when detecting both larval and adult U. brucei. Additionally, we highlight how U. brucei distribution within streams can be highly variable, presumably because of variation in stream depth and leaf litter depth. We also found U. brucei seem to be rarer in SC relative to GA for reasons we do not fully understand. Moreover, our findings advance our understanding of effective U. brucei survey protocols, identifying microhabitat use, and baseline occupancy estimates that can be used to inform future research aiming to ascertain population demographics, further investigate distribution within occupied streams, and prioritize essential habitat to protect

Acculturation And Diabetes Risk Among Mexican Americans

Mexican Americans experience a disproportionate burden of type 2 diabetes in the United States, but it is unclear how acculturation influences diabetes risk in this Hispanic subgroup. We studied the influence of acculturation on diabetes risk in a large cohort of Mexican Americans. Acculturation was assessed at baseline by means of language use, birth country, and duration of residence in the U.S. (among Mexico-born participants). Self-reported diabetes status was ascertained during annual follow-up interviews. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to model the influence of each acculturation proxy variable on incident diabetes. Interactions with each acculturation measure were also tested for gender and education level. In bivariate analyses, greater acculturation was associated with older age, higher education, higher BMI, lower physical activity levels, and a greater likelihood of current/former smoking and alcohol consumption. In multivariate adjusted analyses, diabetes risk was higher among immigrants with 15-19 years (HR=1.40; 95% CI 1.01, 1.93) and 20+ years (HR=1.55; 95% CI 1.15, 2.09) of U.S. residence, relative to those with less than 5 years. Diabetes risk was not significantly associated with either language use or birth country overall, but gender was found to modify these relationships. A greater risk was observed among English-dominant males relative to Spanish-dominant males (HR= 5.67, 95% CI=1.63-19.69) and U.S.-born males relative to Mexico-born males (HR=4.01, 95% CI=1.53-10.49). Future studies of acculturation and health should examine multiple proxy measures or use multi-dimensional acculturation scales. Gender-specific relationships should also be considered in future studies of acculturation as a risk factor for diabetes

Noncancer mortality among adolescents and young adults with cancer

Background: As a result of cancer treatment-related exposures, cancer survivors may be at elevated risk for several noncancer conditions. We used data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program to examine patterns of noncancer mortality among adolescents and young adults (AYAs, ages 15-39 years) with cancer. Methods: In aim 1, we identified 235,542 patients diagnosed with cancer at ages 15-39 during 1973-2015 in the SEER 9 database. Rates of mortality from noncancer causes among AYAs with cancer were compared to rates in the general U.S. population using standardized mortality ratios (SMRs). In aim 2, we identified 242,940 women and 158,347 men diagnosed with AYA cancer during 1985-2015 in the SEER 18 database. Multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (HR) were used to examine disparities in mortality from all noncancer causes, cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and infectious diseases (ID) according to race/ethnicity, geographic region, and county-level socioeconomic characteristics; analyses were stratified by sex. Results: Aim 1: A total of 12,948 deaths from noncancer causes occurred over 3.1 million total person-years. Overall, noncancer mortality was significantly increased among AYAs with cancer relative to the general population (SMR=1.84; 95% CI: 1.80-1.87). SMRs were particularly elevated for ID (SMR=5.13), CVD (SMR=1.55), and renal diseases (SMR=2.40). These associations persisted for more than 20 years after cancer diagnosis. Cancer types with the highest SMRs for all noncancer mortality included leukemias (SMR=5.26), Hodgkin lymphoma (SMR=3.12), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (SMR=6.33), central nervous system tumors (SMR=3.38), head and neck cancers (SMR=2.09), and cervical/uterine cancers (SMR=2.03). Aim 2: All noncancer mortality was significantly increased among non-Hispanic Black AYAs (HR vs non-Hispanic White: HRWomen=2.31; HRMen=2.17) and those in the South (HR vs. Northeast: HRWomen=1.18; HRMen=1.42) or in rural counties (HR vs metro: HRWomen=1.74; HRMen=1.57). Mortality from CVD (HRWomen=2.77; HRMen=2.44) and ID (HRWomen=5.24; HRMen=2.39) was also elevated among AYAs of Non-Hispanic Black race/ethnicity. Conclusions: AYAs with cancer have an elevated burden of mortality from noncancer causes that persists many years after cancer diagnosis, indicating the importance of comprehensive follow-up care for noncancer conditions throughout survivorship. Our analyses also highlight disparities among AYAs with cancer, and identify subgroups that may be targeted for increased medical surveillance.Doctor of Philosoph

The Importance of Appearances in Literature: What Does It Mean to Be a Redhead in Literature?

In literature, appearances always seem to play a major part of each character. The physical descriptions of each character are important to the development of the story. Therefore, it seems that a character’s physical appearance becomes an important part of character development, and his/her physical traits help to determine the type of character he/she will be. Often times, different hair colors carry associations along with them. Redheads have been associated with certain temperaments and personality traits throughout history. In literature, red-headed characters often have the temperaments, traits, and negative connotations associated with redheads. One of the major assumptions made about redheads is that they are witches. Libba Bray’s young adult novel A Great and Terrible Beauty (2003) exemplifies the connection between red hair and witchcraft. This thesis will expose redhead stereotypes by analyzing the main character Gemma Doyle of Bray’s novel. By targeting those stereotypes most commonly associated with redheads specifically, I will demonstrate that appearance, especially hair color, becomes an identifier of certain traits about a character to other characters as well as to the reader

Safety and Service-Learning: Engaging Pharmacy Students to Make Safer Communities

Poster Abstract Objective: To evaluate student perceptions of a service-learning experience for potential implementation in the curriculum. Method: A new 3-week intensive elective course was piloted in the Spring of 2017 at Purdue University College of Pharmacy. Seven third professional year students were included in the pilot and were divided into three groups. Each group of 2-3 students was assigned to one of 3 predetermined community partner sites. Students were taught how to perform a needs assessment and then designed a project targeted to improve safety at their site. Students completed a pre-post questionnaire that assessed their perceptions of the course. Results were analyzed as one tool in the determination of a similar, larger scale course for inclusion in the curriculum. Results: A majority of the students (n=6, 86%) indicated that they agreed or strongly agreed that they learned valuable information from the course. There was a statistically significant increase in agreement with statements indicating an improved understanding of the concept of service-learning (p\u3c0.01), ability to conduct a needs assessment (p\u3c0.01), ability to strategically develop a service-learning project (p\u3c0.01), and increased likelihood to pursue a presentation (p=0.02), publication (p\u3c0.01), or grant writing (p\u3c0.01) opportunity as a result of the course. Implications: Results from this pilot course suggest that offering pharmacy-based, service-learning experiences in safety may be beneficial for both the professional development of the students as well as the local community

Augustana Seniors Fall 1884: Olof Wilhelm Ferm

Olof Wilheml Ferm was a senior at Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois, in the fall of 1884. His name appears in the college catalog of 1884 – 1885, along with his birthplace, the year of his birth, and a few other facts. From this start, we researched the genealogy and family history of O.W. Ferm. This paper contains a short biography of Ferm, a report on his ancestors, a report on his descendants, and some open questions for further research

A Course on Patient Safety: Pharmacy Student and Community Partner Perceptions

The authors of this article developed and piloted a three-week intensive elective course for students in their third professional years in the Doctor of Pharmacy program. The goal of this course was to provide students with an opportunity to apply patient safety concepts in a real-world setting using service-learning as the pedagogy and to evaluate student perceptions of the course for potential implementation in the curriculum. Seven pharmacy students were enrolled in the pilot course and divided into three groups. Each group of two to three students was assigned to one of three predetermined community partner sites. Students were instructed on how to perform a needs assessment before designing a project targeted to improve safety at their community sites. Students completed a pre-, retrospective pre-, and post-course questionnaire that assessed their perceptions of the course. Community partners provided feedback to their student groups, and the results were analyzed to determine whether a large-scale course should be developed for the curriculum. Ultimately, results from this pilot course suggest that offering pharmacy-based, service-learning experiences in safety may be beneficial for the professional development of the students, as well as for the local community

Project: Picturing Milwaukee: Thurston Woods Pilot Study

In the summer of 2012, students, scholars and affiliates of Buildings-Landscapes-Cultures, worked with residents and community organizations from the Thurston Woods neighborhood in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in order to explore, document and examine historic buildings and cultural landscapes of this area.https://dc.uwm.edu/sarup_facbooks/1002/thumbnail.jp

Body Image and Energy Availability in Female Runners

The multidimensional concept of body image, as experienced by an individual, has immense impact on quality of life, and has recently been linked to various dieting and exercising pathology (Grogan, 2008). The objective of the current study was to evaluate the relationship between body image and "Energy Availability" defined as: net energy [calories consumed minus calories expended in exercise] normalized for lean body mass, among a specific sample of 118 adult female recreational runners. The Appearance Orientation and Appearance Evaluation subscales of the MBSRQ (Cash & Pruzinsky, 2002) as well as a silhouette figural drawing scale were used to assess body image attitudes of participants through an online survey. These measures were separately compared with an individual's Energy Availability, determined through the use of self-reported 3-day food records and activity logs. Additional anthropometric measures including height, weight, age, and body fat percentage were obtained through a laboratory visit during which the patient received an iDXA scan. Energy Availability was observed to have an insignificant negative correlation with both Appearance Orientation scoring and Appearance Evaluation scoring, as well as an insignificant positive correlation with silhouette scoring. The results indicate that individuals who were highly invested in and highly satisfied with their appearance, and who desired a smaller physique displayed the most restrictive (low) Energy Availabilities. A significant portion of the subjects (46%) fell below the Energy Availability threshold of 30 kcal/kg LBM day, recommended to maintain proper reproductive, bone, and physiological functioning (Loucks, 2003). It is therefore necessary to inform avid exercisers and athletes of their increased energy/caloric intake requirements that result from their physical activity.No embarg