Use of Spotted Knapweed/Star Thistle (Asterales: Asteraceae) as the Primary Source of Nectar by Early Migrating Monarch Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) from Beaver Island, Michigan

Recent observations over the past decade suggest that the invasive star thistle (aka spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe L.) provides much of the nectar that supports monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) in their pre-migratory and early migratory flight from the Beaver Island archipelago, an isolated chain of islands located in northern Lake Michigan. With the advent and continuation of global climate change, the opportunistic evolutionary changes that may take place between migrating monarchs and their dependence on non-native nectariferous plants, prior to migration, is worth further documentation and examination

Measuring the Effects of “Opportunistic Defense” of the Bracken Fern, \u3ci\u3e(Pteridium Aquilinum)\u3c/i\u3e by Patrolling Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) at Pierce Cedar Creek Institute in South Central Michigan

In this study we show that in South Central Michigan (Pierce Cedar Creek Institute) eight ant species patrol bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum) during the sensitive crozier growth stage. At times these ants remove herbivorous insects from rapidly expanding fronds. A new method for analyzing herbivory of bracken fern is employed to measure chewing damage to the fronds. Our results show that ants do in fact remove some herbivores from bracken fronds during the crozier stage; however, statistical analyses comparing the amount of chewing damage between treated and untreated fronds at the end of the growing season show no statistical difference

The Silhavy Corridor Improvement Project

The City of Valparaiso, Indiana is considering various alternatives to improve safety and efficiency at the existing signalized intersection at Silhavy Road and LaPorte Avenue. One of these alternatives is to construct a multi-lane roundabout. However, a large amount of space is required for the construction of a multi-lane roundabout. In an already heavily developed area, space is a major constraint. The city is also proposing improvements along Silhavy Road north and south of the intersection to enhance traffic flow in the area. The first goal of this research project was to determine if an appropriately sized roundabout would fit into the available space. The second objective was to study improvements in traffic conditions in the area due to the proposed roundabout at Silhavy Road and LaPorte Avenue and capacity enhancement measures along the Silhavy Road corridor. A two-lane roundabout that will fit into the available space and handle the traffic demand was designed. Using traffic simulation software, the delay was measured for both the current signalized intersection and for the proposed two-lane roundabout. The results showed a significant reduction in delay at the intersection due to the roundabout. This benefit is in addition to the safer conditions of a roundabout over a signalized intersection

Warm-started wavefront reconstruction for adaptive optics

Future extreme adaptive optics (ExAO) systems have been suggested with up to 10^5 sensors and actuators. We analyze the computational speed of iterative reconstruction algorithms for such large systems. We compare a total of 15 different scalable methods, including multigrid, preconditioned conjugate-gradient, and several new variants of these. Simulations on a 128×128 square sensor/actuator geometry using Taylor frozen-flow dynamics are carried out using both open-loop and closed-loop measurements, and algorithms are compared on a basis of the mean squared error and floating-point multiplications required. We also investigate the use of warm starting, where the most recent estimate is used to initialize the iterative scheme. In open-loop estimation or pseudo-open-loop control, warm starting provides a significant computational speedup; almost every algorithm tested converges in one iteration. In a standard closed-loop implementation, using a single iteration per time step, most algorithms give the minimum error even in cold start, and every algorithm gives the minimum error if warm started. The best algorithm is therefore the one with the smallest computational cost per iteration, not necessarily the one with the best quasi-static performance

Teaching the Emergency Department Patient Experience: Needs Assessment from the CORD-EM Task Force.

INTRODUCTION: Since the creation of Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) patient satisfaction (PS) scores, patient experience (PE) has become a metric that can profoundly affect the fiscal balance of hospital systems, reputation of entire departments and welfare of individual physicians. While government and hospital mandates demonstrate the prominence of PE as a quality measure, no such mandate exists for its education. The objective of this study was to determine the education and evaluation landscape for PE in categorical emergency medicine (EM) residencies. METHODS: This was a prospective survey analysis of the Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors (CORD) membership. Program directors (PDs), assistant PDs and core faculty who are part of the CORD listserv were sent an email link to a brief, anonymous electronic survey. Respondents were asked their position in the residency, the name of their department, and questions regarding the presence and types of PS evaluative data and PE education they provide. RESULTS: We obtained 168 responses from 139 individual residencies, representing 72% of all categorical EM residencies. This survey found that only 27% of responding residencies provide PS data to their residents. Of those programs, 61% offer simulation scores, 39% provide third-party attending data on cases with resident participation, 37% provide third-party acquired data specifically about residents and 37% provide internally acquired quantitative data. Only 35% of residencies reported having any organized PE curricula. Of the programs that provide an organized PE curriculum, most offer multiple modalities; 96% provide didactic lectures, 49% small group sessions, 47% simulation sessions and 27% specifically use standardized patient encounters in their simulation sessions. CONCLUSION: The majority of categorical EM residencies do not provide either PS data or any organized PE curriculum. Those that do use a heterogeneous set of data collection modalities and educational techniques. American Osteopathic Association and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education residencies show no significant differences in their resident PS data provision or formal curricula. Further work is needed to improve education given the high stakes of PS scores in the emergency physician\u27s career

CHARACTERISTICS OF REFRACTIVITY AND SEA STATE IN THE MARINE ATMOSPHERIC SURFACE LAYER AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON X-BAND PROPAGATION

Predictions of environmental conditions within the marine atmospheric surface layer (MASL) are important to X-band radar system performance. Anomalous propagation occurs in conditions of non-standard atmospheric refractivity, driven by the virtually permanent presence of evaporation ducts (ED) in marine environments. Evaporation ducts are commonly characterized by the evaporation duct height (EDH), evaporation duct strength, and the gradients below the EDH, known as the evaporation duct curvature. Refractivity, and subsequent features, are estimated in the MASL primarily using four methods: in-situ measurements, numerical weather and surface layer modeling, boundary layer theory, and inversion methods. The existing refractivity estimation techniques often assume steady homogeneous conditions, and discrepancies between measured and simulated propagation predictions exist. These discrepancies could be attributed to the exclusion of turbulent fluctuations of the refractive index, exclusion of spatially heterogeneous refractive environments, and inaccurate characterization of the sea surface in propagation simulations. Due to the associated complexity and modeling challenges, unsteady inhomogeneous refractivity and rough sea surfaces are often omitted from simulations. This dissertation first investigates techniques for steady homogeneous refractivity and characterizes refractivity predictions using EDH and profile curvature, examining their effects on X-band propagation. Observed differences between techniques are explored with respect to prevailing meteorological conditions. Significant characteristics are then utilized in refractivity inversions for mean refractivity based-on point-to-point EM measurements. The inversions are compared to the other previously examined techniques. Differences between refractivity estimation methods are generally observed in relation to EDH, resulting in the largest variations in propagation, where most significant EDH discrepancies occur in stable conditions. Further, discrepancies among the refractivity estimation methods (in-situ, numerical models, theory, and inversion) when conditions are unstable and the mean EDH are similar, could be attributed to the neglect of spatial heterogeneity of EDH and turbulent fluctuations in the refractive index. To address this, a spectral-based turbulent refractive index fluctuation model (TRIF) is applied to emulate refractive index fluctuations. TRIF is verified against in-situ meteorological measurements and integrated with a heterogenous EDH model to estimate a comprehensive propagation environment. Lastly, a global sensitivity analysis is applied to evaluate the leading-order effects and non-linear interactions between the parameters of the comprehensive refractivity model and the sea surface in a parabolic wave equation propagation simulation under different atmospheric stability regimes (stable, neutral, and unstable). In neutral and stable regimes, mean evaporation duct characteristics (EDH and refractive gradients below the EDH) have the greatest impact on propagation, particularly beyond the geometric horizon. In unstable conditions, turbulence also plays a significant role. Regardless of atmospheric stability, forward scattering from the rough sea surface has a substantial effect on propagation predictions, especially within the lowest 10 m of the atmosphere

Spiraling Flight Behavior May Integrate the Biological Compass Systems of Migratory North American Monarch Butterflies, (Danaus plexippus, L.)

Here I report a unique spiraling flight and orientation behavior (comprising multiple clockwise and counterclockwise circles coupled by extended figure-8 patterns) observed in free-flying “late” migratory monarchs released under sunny ambient field conditions from a location with an unobstructed view of the sky. Following this spiraling flight, migrants continue to fly at very high altitudes until a final orientation and migratory flight direction is established with vanishing bearings statistically concentrated to the SW/W. These results provide preliminary evidence for the possible calibration and use of an inclination magnetic compass that can be used under all local free-flying field conditions. During this spiraling flight, migrating monarch butterflies are proposed to be measuring the direction and inclination of the continuously varying local magnetic field, in a manner analogous to the figure-8 pattern performed to calibrate digital compasses. This behavioral research focuses on the vital pre-migratory orientation and flight behavior that may provide a key behavioral link explaining how migrating monarch butterflies using a time-compensated sun compass system could also integrate the biophysical input from the polarized UV sensitive dorsal rim area (DRA) and the cellular cryptochrome (CRY) system linked to the proposed inclination-based magnetic compass system residing in the distal end of the antennae

The Impact Of An Alcohol Deterrence Policy On College Students\u27 Behavior

The university under study developed an alcohol control policy in 2006 in response to a string of tragic alcohol-related deaths. At the time of the study, the policy had been in operation for six years with a growing number of student sanctions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the university\u27s alcohol control policy to determine its deterrence impact on students. By surveying students who have been sanctioned under the alcohol control policy, the researcher sought to gain insight on the strengths and weaknesses of the policy as well as to use these responses as an opportunity to recommend future research of the alcohol control policy

Quantifying methods to improve statistical power in grassland and passerine bird nesting studies

Studying nests of grass- and ground-nesting birds is challenging because nests can be rare on the landscape and camouflage can make them difficult to locate. Yet, large sample sizes are needed understand complex interactions between nests and their environments. In this thesis, I present research on two technological approaches for addressing these challenges: thermal-imaging cameras for locating nests and thermal data loggers for monitoring nests. In Chapter 2, I examine the use of a thermal-imaging camera for increasing the detection probability of warm bird nests against cooler background temperatures. Carrying the imager while searching for nests and using it when thermal conditions allowed did not result in a greater detection probability for bird nests. I believe this was due to prevailing sunny conditions obscuring the thermal signal from nests during the majority of the surveys, as well as dense vegetation blocking the thermal signal in much of the habitat we searched. Some study systems may benefit from use of a thermal imager, but I found the money used to purchase the device would have been better invested in additional technician hours searching for nests with traditional methods. In Chapter 3, I describe a study where I tested (1) the impact of iButtonÃÂî thermal data loggers on hatching success in grass- and shrub-nesting passerines overall and (2) as separate groups for species that either accept or reject brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) eggs. I also tested (3) the difference between estimating daily survival rates of nests using data derived from in-person visits and data derived from iButtons. In addition, I present a simulation study to provide a general description of differences observed between in-person visits and iButtons for estimating daily survival rate. I found that iButtons did not affect hatching success probability for grass- and shrub-nesting passerines overall or for nest parasite egg-accepting and egg-rejecting species as separate groups. I did see a trend in the data to suggest nest parasite egg-rejecting species’ nests that received iButtons hatched at a lower rate, but the sample size was not sufficient to reach a definitive conclusion. Using iButtons to estimate success or failure dates in real nests of three species resulted in 0.3–0.9% higher estimates of daily survival rate, 12.2–15.3% larger sample sizes, and 2.0–6.3% reduced standard errors. The direction and trend of these measures was supported by the simulation study, although the magnitude of the effect was much smaller in the simulated data, possibly due to lower variation in the simulated data. These studies of thermal-imaging cameras and iButton thermal data loggers provide guidance to researchers regarding available technological solutions for two common challenges in conducting bird nest studies. Research funds may be better spent on technician hours than on thermal-imaging cameras for most nest studies for ground-nesting birds, and iButton thermal data loggers represent an efficient method for increasing sample sizes and decreasing standard errors when estimating daily survival rates