The Risk to Hawai'i from Snakes

We assessed the risk to Hawai'i's native species and human quality of life posed by the introduction of alien snake species. An examination of Hawai'i Department of Agriculture records from 1990 to 2000 indicated hundreds of credible snake sightings in the state, mostly of free-roaming animals that were not recovered. These snakes arrived primarily through smuggling of pet animals, but some snakes are accidentally introduced as cargo stowaways. Most recovered specimens are of species potentially capable of inflicting substantial harm to native birds and the poultry industry if they become established. Some may affect native freshwater fish. An analysis of the frequency with which snakes are smuggled into the state, the suitability of the local environment to snake welfare, and the ecological threats posed by recovered snake species leads us to conclude that snakes pose a continuing high risk to Hawai'i. Mitigation of this threat can only be achieved by altering the human behavior leading to their widespread introduction. There are a variety of reasons why this behavior has not been successfully curtailed heretofore, and we propose a series of measures that should reduce the rate of snake introduction into Hawai'i. Failure to achieve this reduction will make successful establishment of ecologically dangerous snakes in Hawai'i a virtual certainty

Low-Dose Caffeine Administration During Acute Sleep Deprivation Eliminates Visual Motion Processing Impairment, but Does Not Improve Saccadic Rate

Oculomotor tracking performance changes according to time awake. A constant routine (CR) study demonstrated that increasing time awake 1) reduces the precision of visual motion processing, 2) decreases steady-state closed-loop pursuit performance and 3) decreases peak saccadic velocity. We aimed to determine the contribution of homeostatic sleep pressure on these oculometric changes by administering low-dose caffeine over one night of sleep deprivation. Participants completed two weeks of at-home 8.5 hours sleep per day, followed by an approximately 24-hour laboratory CR in semi-recumbent posture under less than 4 lux of light. The visual tracking task was performed every two hours after waking and hourly overnight. Low-dose caffeine of 0.3 milligrams per kilogram was administered hourly during the biological night. Nine participants (5F) completed the study. Caffeine dosing: 1) prevented the impairment of visual motion processing, 2) reduced by approximately half the impairment of closed-loop pursuit performance (gain, minus 0.47 percent per hour, significance of slope change: p (probability) less than 0.006; proportion smooth, minus 0.35 percent per hour, p less than 0.005), and 3) had an insignificant (p less than 0.39) effect on the impairment of saccadic peak velocity (slope, minus 1.13 percent per hour; intercept, minus 0.62 percent per hour). These results suggest that visual motion processing and some proportion of closed-loop pursuit performance are impaired due to homeostatic mechanisms during sleep deprivation

Impairment of Human Ocular Tracking with Low-Dose Alcohol

Previous studies have documented adverse effects of alcohol on oculomotor performance. For example, moderate-dose alcohol (yielding a Blood Alcohol Concentration or BAC of 0.04-0.1%) has been shown to decrease steady-state pursuit gain (Fransson et al., 2010, Clin Neurophysiol, 121(12): 2134; Moser et al., 1998, J Neurol, 245(8): 542; Roche & King, 2010, Psychopharmacology, 212(1): 33), to increase saccade latency (Moser et al., 1998, J Neurol, 245(8): 542; Roche & King, 2010, Psychopharmacology, 212(1): 33), to decrease peak saccadic velocity (Fransson et al., 2010, Clin Neurophysiol, 121(12): 2134; Roche & King, 2010, Psychopharmacology, 212(1): 33), and to increase the frequency of catch-up saccades (Moser et al., 1998, J Neurol, 245(8): 542). Here, we administered two doses of ethanol on different days, yielding moderate (0.06%) and low (0.02%) levels of initial BAC, to examine the effects on human ocular tracking over BACs ranging from 0.00 to 0.07%. Twelve subjects (8 females) participated in a 5-day study. Three days of at-home measurements of daily activity and sleep were monitored, followed by two laboratory days where, ~5 hours after awakening, we administered one of the two possible single doses of alcohol. Using a previously published paradigm (Liston & Stone, 2014, J Vis, 14(14): 12), we measured oculomotor performance multiple times throughout the day with three pre-dosing baseline runs and bi-hourly post-dosing test runs until the subject recorded a BAC of 0.00% for two hours. BAC was measured before each run using an Alco-Sensor IV breathalyzer (Intoximeters, Inc., St. Louis, MO). For each of the oculometric measures, for each subject, we computed the within-subject % deviation for each test run from their baseline averaged across their three pre-dosing runs. We then averaged the data across subjects in 0.01% BAC bins. Finally, we used linear regression to compute the slope and x-intercept (threshold) of the mean binned % deviation as a function of BAC. We found that pursuit initiation was impaired at very low BAC levels, with significant (p < 0.002) linear trends in latency (+1.3%/0.01%BAC) and initial acceleration (-4.6%/0.01%BAC) with extrapolated absolute thresholds at or below 0.01% BAC. We also found that steady-state tracking was impaired showing significant (p < 0.002) linear trends in gain (- 3.8%/0.01%BAC) and catch-up saccade amplitude (+9.1%/0.01%BAC), again with extrapolated absolute thresholds around 0.01% BAC. We also found a significant (p < 0.02) increase in pursuit direction noise (+9.8%/0.01%BAC) with an extrapolated absolute threshold below 0.01% BAC. Many aspects of ocular tracking are impaired in a dose-dependent manner beginning at a BAC level around 0.01%, with significant effects at levels lower than previously reported and up to 8-times lower than the legal limit for driving in most states

Oculomotor Behavior Metrics Change According to Circadian Phase and Time Awake

There is a need for non-invasive, objective measures to forecast performance impairment arising from sleep loss and circadian misalignment, particularly in safety-sensitive occupations. Eye-tracking devices have been used in some operational scenarios, but such devices typically focus on eyelid closures and slow rolling eye movements and are susceptible to the intrusion of head movement artifacts. We hypothesized that an expanded suite of oculomotor behavior metrics, collected during a visual tracking task, would change according to circadian phase and time awake, and could be used as a marker of performance impairment

Effects of spatial dispersion in near-field radiative heat transfer between two parallel metallic surfaces

We study the heat transfer between two parallel metallic semi-infinite media with a gap in the nanometer-scale range. We show that the near-field radiative heat flux saturates at distances smaller than the metal skin depth when using a local dielectric constant and investigate the origin of this effect. The effect of non-local corrections is analysed using the Lindhard-Mermin and Boltzmann-Mermin models. We find that local and non-local models yield the same heat fluxes for gaps larger than 2 nm. Finally, we explain the saturation observed in a recent experiment as a manifestation of the skin depth and show that heat is mainly dissipated by eddy currents in metallic bodies.Comment: Version without figures (8 figures in the complete version

Revitalization of "Dead Space" through the use of Ineractive Interventions

This paper is based on research that focuses on the problem of “dead space” within the urban environment. The goal of this project is to come up with an interactive design intervention that will ultimately resolve issues of existing dead space. This paper will help readers obtain a clearer understanding of what “dead space” is and why it is so detrimental to the urban environment as well as define what interactive architecture is and how it can be beneficial to the revitalization of dead space. A multitude of case studies that deal with space revitalization were analyzed and three typologies were derived for determining potential sites. Through these typologies, sites were found which needed intervention and a Design Matrix is developed to aid in the development of an intervention. Scenarios were developed to provide a better understanding of how these interventions will work and be utilized. Finally, this paper discusses the process of this project and future developments

Increased Dependence on Saccades for Ocular Tracking with Low Dose Alcohol

Previous studies have shown that certain features of oculomotor performance are impaired at or slightly below the legal limit for driving in most U.S. States (0.08% Blood Alcohol Concentration or BAC). Specifically, alcohol impairs saccadic velocity and steady-state tracking at levels between 0.04% and 0.1% BAC. Here we used a suite of standardized oculometric measures to examine the effect of ultra-low levels of alcohol (down to 0.01% BAC) on steady-state tracking. Our high-uncertainty tracking task reveals that the smooth pursuit system is highly sensitive to BAC, with impairmentextrapolating back to BAC levels at or below 0.01%. BAC generates a dose dependent increase in reliance on the saccadic system that maintains overall steady-state tracking effectiveness at least up to 0.08% BAC, albeit with a significant decrease in smoothness

Learning Statistics using Concept Maps: Effects on Anxiety and Performance

The aim of this thesis was to study the use of concept mapping in an undergraduate statistics course in order to examine the effects on statistics anxiety and academic performance by means of a two-group quasi-experimental design. Two undergraduate statistics classes were recruited for this study with one serving as the treatment (concept map) group and one serving as the control (standard instruction) group. It was hypothesized that the use of concept mapping would decrease the statistics anxiety and improve the academic performance of students in the concept map group when compared with the control group. The statistics anxiety of the concept map group decreased more than that of the control group over the course of the semester, but the group differences in anxiety were not found to be statistically significant. The academic performance of both the concept map and control groups remained relatively stable throughout the course of the semester, and the groups did not significantly differ on academic performance measures. Significant differences were found between the concept map and control group on the interpretation anxiety subscale of the statistical anxiety measure used in this study and between the proficient and non-proficient concept map user scores on the computational section of the third academic performance measure. The study hypotheses were not supported. It is suggested that future research include less concept map training, more specific instruction for concept map creation, and investigation of particular student groups

Students Voicing Collegiate Recovery

Young adults increasingly enter college with substance use addiction. Some may achieve recovery before setting their foot on a college campus whereas others during their college years. These students often struggle to maintain sobriety as they act out their daily lives because they find themselves in abstinence-hostile environments (Bugbee et al., 2016; Harris et al., 2008). This presentation will discuss students’ collegiate recovery experiences and will report on a photovoice project documenting students’ recovery experience and recovery management and support needs. Photovoice is a participatory social action method that uses photography to answer research questions (Wang, 2006); a photovoice exhibit, involving a gallery of participants’ photographs and linked narrative text to explicate the photos’ meaning, disseminates the findings. The presentation will focus on the narratives of students in recovery and attendees will obtain an in-depth understanding of recovery students’ experiences of stigma, shame and isolation, and marginalized social positions, which are intimately tied to their addiction histories. Students in recovery represent an invisible student group that struggles to access resources and needed healthcare services. The photovoice method can act as a powerful tool to empower marginalized students to share their recovery experiences and articulate their needs; ultimately providing a vehicle for structural-level and systemic change