Influence of Chinese Tallow Infestation on Winter Bird Community along Lanana Creek Basin

Exotic invasive plant species are among the greatest threats to biodiversity and persistence of rare wildlife species in the United States. These plants compete with native plants, causing extinctions or severe reductions in native populations. They may also affect wildlife through loss of preferred food items or changes in vegetation structure. Chinese tallow tree (Triadeca sebifera) is one of the most important and widespread exotic plants in the Southeast. Although impacts of Chinese tallow on vegetation communities are well studied, impacts on native wildlife are less well understood. This study explored the interaction between native wildlife and Chinese tallow infestation in the Lanana Creek basin in Nacogdoches, TX

Daily Movements of Female White-tailed Deer Relative to Parturition and Breeding

To assess how white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) herd demographics influence reproductive behaviors, we examined 24-h diel movements of female whitetailed deer relative to parturition and breeding in a low-density population with a near even sex ratio at the Savannah River Site (SRS), South Carolina. We conducted a series of intensive, 24-h radio-tracking periods of 13 females during spring and fall 2002. We compared daily range (ha), rate of travel (m/h), and distance between extreme daily locations (m), among the periods of pre-parturition and post-parturition and pre-, peak-, and post-rut. From pre-parturition to post-parturition, we observed decreases in diel range size (–38.2%), distance between extreme diel locations (–17.0%), and diel rate of travel (–18.2%). Diel range size, distance between extreme diel locations, and diel rate of travel during the pre-rut and rut exceeded those observed during post-rut. We further identified substantial increases in mobility during 12 24-h diel periods for eight females during our fall monitoring. Our data suggest that female white-tailed deer reduce mobility post-fawning following exaggerated movements during pre-parturition. Furthermore, despite a near equal sex ratio, estrous does may be required to actively seek potential mates due to low population density

Effects of Controlled Dog Hunting on Movements of Female White-tailed Deer

Understanding the responses of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) to controlled dog hunting can aid in the effective implementation of canine-assisted population management strategies. We examined the 24-h diel movements of 13 radio-collared female deer exposed to dog hunting on the Savannah River Site (SRS) near Aiken, South Carolina, where regulated dog hunting has occurred since 1965. We compared diel home range size, rate of travel, and distance between extreme diel locations before, during, and after hunts from 14 September-14 December 2002. Die1 home range size (F2,91= 7.71, P \u3c 0.001) and distance between extreme diel locations (F2,9l= 6.78, P = 0.002) on hunt day were greater than 10-day pre- and post-hunt periods. There was no difference between pre-and post-hunt diel home range size (F2,91= 7.71, P = 0.999) and distance between extreme diel locations (F2,91= 6.78, P = 0.704). Rate of travel (F2,91=2.74, P = 0.070) did not differ among the pre-, hunt day, and post-hunt periods. In 8 of 15 monitoring periods of individual deer during hunts, deer moved outside the periphery of their fall home range. The mean distance deer moved outside of their fall home range boundary was 0.8 krn (SE = 0.2 km) and all returned within 13 hours. Our data suggest short-term, controlled dog hunting has little long-term effect on adult, female white-tailed deer movement on the SRS. Because deer did not leave the hunt area, the effectiveness of such hunts may be increased by extending their duration

Municipal Liability Under Section 1983: The Rationale Underlying the Final Authority Doctrine

The Reconstruction Congress passed section 1 of the Civil Rights Act of 1871 (Act), commonly known as the Ku Klux Klan Act,1 to com- bat racial violence in the South where local police officers, in violation of the victims\u27 constitutional rights, often failed to protect blacks from attacks by lynch mobs. Although section 1 protects all citizens regard- less of race, it was designed primarily to (1) prevent states from passing racially discriminatory laws, (2) provide blacks with redress for deprivations of civil rights when state law proved inadequate, and (3) enable victims to sue in federal court when state law remedies were, in practice, unavailable to blacks.\u27 Currently codified at section 1983 of Title 42 of the United States Code,4 section I does not create any substantive rights. Instead, it provides a private right of action in federal court for the deprivation of federally protected rights.\u27 Since its passage, section 1983 has evolved into an all-purpose remedy for victims of official abuse. Whenever a local government violates a person\u27s federally protected rights, the victim can sue the officer and the governmental entity for money damages under section 1983. Section 1983 does not provide a remedy for deprivations caused by federal actors or by states.\u27 In 1978, however, the United States Supreme Court approved the recovery of damages directly from a municipality that ultimately was found responsible for the plaintiff\u27s deprivation. Section 1983 has become an effective means of redress for victims of official abuse and, consequently, appears to have altered the behavior of police, who frequently are placed in confrontational situations in which deprivations are most likely to occur. A municipality, however, is not automatically liable when one of its officers or employees causes a deprivation. This Note considers when a municipality is and should be liable for deprivations caused by its officers

A STUDY OF THE COMPARISON OF INTERESTS OF SOCIAL SCIENCE MAJORS WITH THE INTERESTS OF OTHER ADULTS AS MEASURED BY THE KUDER PREFERENCE RECORD

This study was undertaken to compare the interests of social science majors with the interests of other adults based on data gathered from a survey of male students of Kansas State Teachers College, Pittsburg, Kansas. A differentiation between preferences of social science majors and those of the general population was made using Fisher\u27s discriminant function. A group of 121 social science majors were tested by means of a special mailing form (Form C) of the Ruder Preference Record. Sixty-two valid returns were used in this study. The mean raw scores of the Social Science Majors tended to show a pattern of interest with the highest percentile ranks being obtained in the literary, social service, and musical areas. The lowest percentile ratings were in mechanical, computational, and scientific areas. The scores of Social Science Majors tended to closely resemble the High School Teachers of Social Studies. Fisher\u27s discriminant function was used to obtain relative weights which could be applied to raw scores to produce a criterion regressed score. Within the Social Science group there were two some-what different patterns. One group was the majors who ex-pressed satisfaction with the present occupation; the other group preferred a different kind of work entirely. The mean raw scores of the Like group tended to be higher in the areas of social service, literary, scientific, persuasive, and artistic activities; while the Different group obtained higher scores in the fields of computational, musical, and clerical activities. It was found that the Like group most closely resembled the High School Teachers of Social Studies. When their scores were weighted, seventy-six per cent of the Like group were above the fiftieth percentile as com-pared to fifty-three per cent of the Different group. Forty-seven per cent of the Different group had scores below the fiftieth percentile--almost double the twenty-four per cent of the Like group. On the basis of the weighted scores of Social Science Majors, it would seem that a differentiation is possible. Weighted scores discriminate consistently enough at higher levels of percentile rank to permit a distinction between those who are satisfied in a pattern of social science interests and those who do not profess interests in this field of endeavor