NORTHERN RIVER OTTER POPULATION ASSESSMENT AND CONNECTIVITY IN WESTERN MONTANA

Northern river otters (Lontra canadensis) are elusive and difficult to monitor, and little is known about their movement patterns or how populations are structured on the landscape. Otters are sensitive to degradation of aquatic systems, mostly due to loss of prey. This is evident in the Upper Clark Fork River (UCFR), Montana, which has been polluted from decades of mining activity. My objectives for this project were to determine otter population substructuring and connectivity in western Montana and Idaho, and produce a habitat assessment and population estimate for otters in the UCFR. I used genotypic data from otter tissue samples collected in Montana and Idaho to determine otter population structuring and connectivity. I found no evidence that otter movements are restricted to streams, and there appears to be movements between otter populations in MT and ID over a mountain range. Pair-wise FST values were highest between ID and MT rivers, but were still within the range shown in otter populations with no physical barriers. Four possible first generation migrants were detected, with two of those migrants between ID and MT. Least-cost path analyses revealed that genetic distances between pairs of otter samples were more correlated with Euclidean distances than stream distances. I characterized vegetation at 310 random locations and 35 otter latrine sites along the UCFR. Random sites were characterized by low overstory and understory cover, and tended to have ground cover dominated by grass, shrub, and dirt/sand. Latrine sites were located in areas with significantly higher bank heights and medium levels of understory cover. Latrine sites also tended to be located near beaver activity more than random sites. In addition to the habitat assessment, I non-invasively collected hair and scat samples for use in genetic population estimates. I was able to genotype 11 scat and hair samples, for a total of 8 individuals. I was unable to calculate a population estimate because of low sample size. It is not recommended to use non-invasive sampling measures to estimate population until other genetic markers (e.g. SNPS) are developed for otters that can utilize low-quality DNA from otter scat. Otters can be found in multiple aquatic habitat types, and my habitat analyses reveal little to guide restoration in the river. Therefore, otters may not be an appropriate tool to guide restoration efforts on the UCFR. However, continuing to monitor otter latrine sites can be an effective way to track ecological responses to restoration

The English pastoral after Spenser.

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston Universit

Sustainable Purchasing Practices: An investigation into current industry awareness and practice

This research study illustrates the importance of sustainable purchasing practices for organizations in the U.S. distribution industry and answers several important questions: what is the current awareness of U.S. organizations regarding sustainable purchasing practices; to what extent are U.S. organizations evaluating, selecting, and retaining suppliers based upon sustainable purchasing practices; and to what extent are sustainable purchasing practices being implemented by the U.S. organizations under study? With an ever increasing global economy, is it critically important for organizations to put in place sustainability practices; the biggest impact organizations can make is often in an organization’s purchasing department. The researcher begins by explaining the reasoning for conducting the research, and then builds the readers’ understanding of sustainability in a supply chain environment. It then moves to the subject of how sustainable purchasing can be an advantageous method for bringing about “triple bottom line” savings to an organization. This section is followed by the researcher’s methodology and ending results for a survey conducted to examine the current awareness and implementation of sustainable purchasing practices among U.S. plumbing, heating, cooling and piping (PHCP) distribution firms who participated in the study

Deep sea photography

Interest of the senior author in deep sea photography stems from a desire to obtain photographs of deep sea luminous fish-not by their own light, but in their natural environment, using artificial illumination. The abundance of deep sea forms observed by Beebe (1934) from his bathysphere suggests that success might be achieved, especiaJly if a lure could be found that would attract deep sea fish to the front of the camera

Study of Valuations of General Rank

Higher Educatio

Fit Into College: A Program to Improve Physical Activity and Dietary Intake Lifestyles Among College Students

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a 10-week program could improve physical activity, physical fitness, body weight, dietary intake, and perceptions of exercise and diet among college 30 healthy college freshmen. Outcomes were measured at baseline, and following the 10-week program. The weekly sessions incorporated constructs of the Transtheoretical Model of Health Behavior Change and were administered by fitness interns who were junior or senior college students enrolled in health-related majors. The participants presented with low physical activity, physical fitness, and poor dietary intake, and 50% were overweight/obese (BMI \u3e 25). Participants demonstrated gains in their physical fitness and their perceived benefits to engaging in exercise and decreased their perceived barriers to engaging in exercise and a healthy diet. College freshmen presented with low levels of physical activity, poor dietary intake, and excess body weight. A peer-administered program can improve these measures and favorably change perceptions of exercise and diet

Helicobacter pylori and cancer among adults in Uganda

Data from Africa on infection with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) are sparse. Therefore, as part of an epidemiological study of cancer in Uganda, we investigated the prevalence and determinants of antibodies against H. pylori among 854 people with different cancer types and benign tumours. Patients were recruited from hospitals in Kampala, Uganda, interviewed about various demographic and lifestyle factors and tested for antibodies against H. pylori. In all patients combined, excluding those with stomach cancer (which has been associated with H. pylori infection), the prevalence of antibodies was 87% (723/833) overall, but declined with increasing age (p = 0.02) and was lower among people who were HIV seropositive compared to seronegative (p <0.001). Otherwise, there were few consistent epidemiological associations. Among those with stomach cancer, 18/21 (86%) had anti-H. pylori antibodies (odds ratio 0.8, 95% confidence intervals 0.2–2.9, p = 0.7; estimated using all other patients as controls, with adjustment for age, sex and HIV serostatus). No other cancer site or type was significantly associated with anti-H. pylori antibodies. The prevalence of H. pylori reported here is broadly in accord with results from other developing countries, although the determinants of infection and its' role in the aetiology of gastric cancer in Uganda remain unclear

Modelos de Valor Agregado da Eficácia Docente

Recent policy interest in tying student learning to teacher evaluation has led to growing use of value-added methods for assessing student learning gains linked to individual teachers. VAM analyses rely on complex assumptions about the roles of schools, multiple teachers, student aptitudes and efforts, homes and families in producing measured student learning gains. This article reports on analyses that examine the stability of high school teacher effectiveness rankings across differing conditions. We find that judgments of teacher effectiveness for a given teacher can vary substantially across statistical models, classes taught, and years. Furthermore, student characteristics can impact teacher rankings, sometimes dramatically, even when such characteristics have been previously controlled statistically in the value-added model. A teacher who teaches less advantaged students in a given course or year typically receives lower effectiveness ratings than the same teacher teaching more advantaged students in a different course or year. Models that fail to take student demographics into account further disadvantage teachers serving large numbers of low-income, limited English proficient, or lower-tracked students. We examine a number of potential reasons for these findings, and we conclude that caution should be exercised in using student achievement gains and value-added methods to assess teachers effectiveness, especially when the stakes are high.El reciente inters para relacionar los resultados de los aprendizajes de los estudiantes con las evaluaciones docentes ha provocado un uso creciente de Mtodos de Valor Aadido (MVA) para evaluar incrementos en los aprendizajes de los alumnos. Los anlisis MVA se basan en hiptesis complejas acerca del papel que desempean las escuelas, los profesores, las aptitudes de los estudiantes, sus esfuerzos, sus hogares y familias en la produccin de incrementos medibles de aprendizaje estudiantil . Este artculo discute los anlisis que examinan la estabilidad de las clasificaciones de eficacia de profesores de escuelas secundarias a travs de diferentes condiciones. Encontramos que valoraciones de la efectividad docente de un profesor/a pueden variar substancialmente a travs de los distintos modelos estadsticos, las clases enseadas y los aos de experiencia. Adems, las caractersticas de los estudiantes pueden impactar drsticamente las clasificaciones de los profesores, an cuando tales caractersticas hayan sido previamente controladas estadsticamente en un MVA. Los profesores que ensean a los estudiantes menos aventajados en un curso o ao determinado reciben clasificaciones de eficacia ms bajas que cuando un mismo profesor est enseando a los estudiantes ms aventajados en otro curso o ao. Los modelos que no toman en cuenta las caractersticas demogrficas de los estudiantes perjudican adicionalmente a los profesores que sirven a un gran nmero de estudiantes de bajos ingresos, con conocimientos limitados del idioma ingls o que estn en cursos de menor rendimiento acadmico. Examinamos un gran nmero de posibles razones para explicar estos resultados, entre ellas la naturaleza especfica de las medidas de las evaluaciones y los mtodos estadsticos utilizados y concluimos que se debe tener precaucin al hacer inferencias sobre la efectividad de profesores individuales basadas en modelos de Valor Aadido especialmente para determinar resultados que puedan tener consecuencias severas (como promocin de un ciclo para otro).O recente interesse poltico de relacionar resultados da aprendizagem dos alunos com as avaliaes de professores ocasionou uma crescente utilizao de Mtodos de Valor Agregado (MVA) para avaliar ganhos na aprendizagem dos alunos. Anlises MVA so baseadas em hipteses complexas sobre o papel das escolas, dos variados professores, das competncias e empenho dos alunos e do ambiente familiar na produo de aumentos mensurveis da aprendizagem dos alunos. Este artigo discute trabalhos que examinam a estabilidade das classificaes dos professores de ensino mdio em condies diferentes. Descobrimos que as avaliaes de eficcia do ensino de um professor podem variar consideravelmente a partir dos diferentes modelos estatsticos, das aulas ministradas e dos anos de experincia. Alm disso, caractersticas dos estudantes podem modificar drasticamente a classificao dos professores, mesmo que tais caractersticas tenham sido controladas estatisticamente nos MVA. Professores que ensinam alunos mais desfavorecidos em um determinado curso ou srie recebem avaliaes de desempenho inferiores do que o mesmo professor ensinando alunos mais favorecidos em outro curso ou srie. Modelos que no levam em conta as caractersticas demogrficas dos estudantes podem prejudicar professores que atendem um grande nmero de alunos de baixa renda, com habilidades limitadas em ingls ou que esto em cursos considerados fracos. Examinamos um grande nmero de possveis razes para estes resultados, incluindo a natureza especfica das medidas de avaliao e os mtodos estatsticos utilizados. Conclumos que necessrio muito cuidado ao se fazer inferncias sobre a eficcia dos professores com base em Modelos de Valor Agregado (MVA), especialmente para determinar resultados que podem ter consequncias graves (tais como a promoo de um ciclo para outro)