Lack of high-quality nurseries is not just a human problem: nonnative fish densities in backwater nurseries of the San Juan River, NM, CO, UT

The Razorback Sucker (Xyrauchen texanus) and Colorado Pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus lucius) are federally endangered species occurring in the San Juan River of NM, CO, and UT. These species have shown little natural recruitment in this system, with a lack of high-quality nursery habitats being one potential explanation for this phenomenon. The young-of-year of both species prefer backwaters, including those that form in secondary channels or in association with islands. Unfortunately, many nonnative fishes that compete with and prey upon these imperiled species also reside in backwaters. However, it is unknown how nonnative fish densities vary between secondary channel and island backwaters during the critical post-spawning window of July-September, so we compared nonnative fish densities between the two backwater types across 20 sites (i.e., 10 of each type) sampled during five sampling occasions in 2021. Overall nonnative fish density was 53% greater in secondary channel compared to island backwaters, as nonnative fish density was greater in secondary channel backwaters in all but the first sample trip in mid-July. Our results suggested that secondary channels may be poorer nursery habitat for imperiled natives compared to islands because of their greater nonnative densities, which has implications for environmental flows management that can manipulate backwater availability

SECONDARY CHANNEL BACKWATERS MAY BE SUPERIOR NURSERIES FOR NATIVE FISHES IN THE SAN JUAN RIVER OF THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST, BUT MONSOON-DRIVEN DETERIORATIONS MAY LESSEN THEIR QUALITY

The Razorback Sucker (Xyrauchen texanus) and Colorado Pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus lucius) are federally-endangered species occurring in the San Juan River of NM, CO, and UT, USA. These species have shown little natural recruitment in this system, with a lack of high-quality nursery habitats being one potential explanation for this phenomenon. The young-of-year of both species prefer backwaters, including those that form in secondary channels or in association with islands. However, it is unknown how factors that could limit imperiled fish recruitment, such as hydrologic stability, physicochemical features, resource availability, and nonnative fish densities, differ between secondary channel and island backwaters. Furthermore, how these environmental features vary during the critical post-spawning window of the July-September monsoon season within and across years is also poorly understood. As such, we compared hydrologic stability, shading, water temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations, turbidity, percent substrate composition, mean backwater width and depth, large woody debris (LWD) area, chlorophyll-a concentrations, invertebrate biomass, and native and nonnative fish densities between the two backwater types across 20 sites (i.e., 10 of each type) sampled on five occasions each in 2021 and 2022. We found that values of several variables were similar between backwater types (e.g., hydrologic stability, turbidity, silt coverage, mean width and depth, zooplankton biomass), but several other variables differed. For instance, secondary channel backwaters had greater shading, cooler water temperatures, higher DO concentrations, and more macroinvertebrates and fishes compared to island backwaters, although island backwaters had a greater coverage of coarse substrates. Many of these variables changed over time however in response to the monsoon season, which included increasing coverage of silt and decreasing widths, depths, LWD area, and abundances of macroinvertebrates and fishes. Our results suggested that secondary channel backwaters have more favorable physicochemical properties and are more productive compared to island backwaters, although both backwater types experienced degradation in quality throughout the monsoon season. Chronic and acute monsoonal-induced deteriorations in backwater habitat may explain the limited recruitment of imperiled native fishes in the San Juan River. Identifying strategies for improving backwater nursery quantity and quality (e.g., environmental flows management) will be paramount in helping to alleviate the recruitment bottleneck of imperiled Razorback Sucker and Colorado Pikeminnow in the San Juan River, thus aiding their recovery

The Effects of Function-Based Self-Management Interventions

Children with emotional and behavioral disorders (E/BD) struggle to achieve social and academic outcomes, a struggle which can adversely impact families, schools, and communities. To help these children, self-management interventions are widely disseminated in schools. Many studies have demonstrated self-management interventions to be effective at reducing problem behavior and increasing positive social and academic behaviors. One method of designing these interventions is functional behavior assessment. The purpose of this study was to link self-management procedures to hypothesized behavior function in three children with E/BD. Results demonstrated that self-monitoring alone could be enhanced using information derived from functional behavior assessment and that consequences delivered by teachers were less effective than a self-management treatment package

The Effect of Implementing Behavioral Counseling for Elevated LDL Levels

Hyperlipidemia is a key risk factor in cardiovascular mortality, and is prevalent in approximately 38% of American adults (CDC, 2022b). Cholesterol levels are intensified by unhealthy lifestyle choices, which means a change in lifestyle behaviors could prevent cardiovascular related deaths (WHO, 2022). The PICOT question for this project was: In adults aged 20 years or older in the primary care setting who have elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels (P), does the implementation of behavioral counseling on lifestyle modifications (I) compared to current practice (C) decrease LDL levels (O) over a 10- to 12- week period (T)? Fourteen participants from a small direct primary care clinic in Indiana completed the entirety of the project. LDL levels were measured pre-intervention, along with a rapid assessment of physical activity (RAPA) and the rate your plate (RYP) tool, blood pressure (BP), body mass index (BMI), weight, and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk scores. The nurse practitioner initiated a behavioral counseling session on lifestyle modifications, assisted by educational handouts, and created three healthy goals with the participant. A follow-up telephone counseling session was scheduled at five weeks to review those goals, followed by an in-person counseling session at 10- to 12- weeks. LDL levels were redrawn and the RYP and RAPA tools, weight, BMI, BP and ASCVD scores were completed once more to show a within-group evaluation of pre- and post-intervention outcomes. A paired t-test was used for analysis, and statistically significant data was found by increased RYP scores (p = .001), increased RAPA scores (p = .004), weight reduction (p = .035), BMI reduction (p = .026), systolic BP reduction (p = .025), and ASCVD score reduction (p = .002). There was no statistical significance in LDL reduction (p = .051); however, there was still a decrease in mean scores pre- (137.36) and post- (114.43) intervention. These findings support the use of behavioral counseling for lifestyle modifications in patients with elevated LDL levels

Effects of Family Stress, Family Social Support, and Family Balance on Maternal Adaptation in Post Birth Families

The purpose of this study was to describe the effects of perinatal family stress, family social support, and family balance on post birth maternal adaptation. The birth of a new infant is a transitional event that causes stress to the individuals within the family and the family as a unit. The childbearing woman has been identified as the core of the expanding family. Her adaptive level is critical to the integration of the new infant into the family unit. Stress and support are important variables in maternal adaptation, yet the specific relationship of these variables as they relate to the family has not been adequately studied. The study was a predictive correlational design. Subjects were 87 family units comprised of a childbearing woman and her identified significant other. Measurement of the variables occurred in the third trimester of pregnancy and at six to eight weeks post birth. Hypotheses were designed to study the relationship of perinatal family social support, family stress, and family balance to post birth maternal adaptation. Descriptive, correlational, multiple correlational, and regression techniques were used for data analysis. Data for the family variables were analyzed using a family unit score based on the couple mean (Copland & White, 1991). An examination of the study hypotheses indicated that five of the seven hypotheses were supported. Family social support and stress were significantly correlated to post birth maternal adaptation prenatally, and family social support, stress and balance were all significantly correlated to maternal adaptation in the post birth measurement. When maternal adaptation was regressed on all independent variables, only family stress and family social support post birth were statistically significant (N = 87, $R\\sp2$ =.33, p $\u3c$.001). Further development of studies relating to how the family and new mother are enmeshed may help to establish more effective interventions for delivering care to this population

Assessing the Agreement of Light Microscopic Evaluation of Oral Lichen Planus Lesions With Associated Direct Immunofluorescence Evaluation

AIM/OBJECTIVE: Assess agreement between light microscopy and direct immunofluorescence (DIF) for histopathologic evaluation of oral lichen planus (OLP). METHODS: Records evaluated included 60 OLP, 16 lichenoid mucositis (LM), and 56 non-OLP/non-LM cases. Cases had both light microscopic and DIF evaluations. Histopathologic parameters of OLP included: (1) hydropic degeneration of the basal cell layer, (2) band-like lymphocytic infiltrate immediately subjacent to the epithelium, and (3) presence of Civatte bodies. Two calibrated examiners independently assessed light microscopic features. Examiners reviewed cases with discordant diagnoses to determine a consensus diagnosis. Intra-rater reliability (IRR), sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV) were determined. RESULTS: Of 132 patients, 72.7% were female, average age 61.9 (SD = 13.8). Most common sites were gingiva (37.9%), buccal mucosa (37.1%), and tongue (7.6%). IRR was 0.74 (95% CI: 0.40, 1.00) for the consensus diagnosis and 0.73 (95% CI: 0.39, 1.00) and 0.34 (95% CI: -0.03, 0.72) for the 2 examiners. Comparing consensus and definitive diagnoses: sensitivity of light microscopy: 0.32 (95% CI: 0.20, 0.45); specificity: 0.88 (95% CI: 0.78, 0.94); PPV: 0.68 (95% CI: 0.48, 0.84), and NPV: 0.61 (95% CI: 0.51, 0.70). CONCLUSION: Light microscopy alone is not a viable alternative to adjunctive DIF for diagnosis of OLP lesions

Experimental evidence of an eco-evolutionary feedback during adaptive divergence

Differences in how organisms modify their environment can evolve rapidly and might influence adaptive population divergence [1 and 2]. In a common garden experiment in aquatic mesocosms, we found that adult stickleback from a recently diverged pair of lake and stream populations had contrasting effects on ecosystem metrics. These modifications were caused by both genetic and plastic differences between populations and were sometimes comparable in magnitude to those caused by the presence/absence of stickleback. Lake and stream fish differentially affected the biomass of zooplankton and phytoplankton, the concentration of phosphorus, and the abundance of several prey (e.g., copepods) and non-prey (e.g., cyanobacteria) species. The adult-mediated effects on mesocosm ecosystems influenced the survival and growth of a subsequent generation of juvenile stickleback reared in the same mesocosms. The prior presence of adults decreased the overall growth rate of juveniles, and the prior presence of stream adults lowered overall juvenile survival. Among the survivors, lake juveniles grew faster than co-occurring stream juveniles, except in mesocosm ecosystems previously modified by adult lake fish that were reared on plankton. Overall, our results provide evidence for reciprocal interactions between ecosystem dynamics and evolutionary change (i.e., eco-evolutionary feedbacks) in the early stages of adaptive population divergence

Wednesday Convocation

Program listing performers and works performe

Evaluation of a Pyramidal Parent Training Model in Albania

Introduction: Parenting a child with a disability presents a challenge for parents worldwide. In countries that have limited resources, the challenges of raising a child with autism can be overwhelming. Parent training is one method of providing services to parents and models that account for the realities in developing countries are needed. Method: 20 parents were trained on three intervention strategies. The study used a quasi-experimental design with three pretest conditions and three posttest conditions. The parents were randomly assigned to a training tier where they were trained by either a professional or another parent. Results: Significant changes on the pre-post measures were found. Parents indicated that this training strategy was aligned with their cultural values and that they believed the goals and outcomes of the training were effective. Conclusion: Pyramidal training represents a training method to help disseminate behavioral interventions to parents in countries with limited resources

Structure and phase transitions of monolayers of intermediate-length n-alkanes on graphite studied by neutron diffraction and molecular dynamics simulation

doi:10.1063/1.3212095We present evidence from neutron diffraction measurements and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of three different monolayer phases of the intermediate-length alkanes tetracosane (n-C24H50 denoted as C24) and dotriacontane (n-C32H66 denoted as C32) adsorbed on a graphite basal-plane surface. Our measurements indicate that the two monolayer films differ principally in the transition temperatures between phases. At the lowest temperatures, both C24 and C32 form a crystalline monolayer phase with a rectangular-centered (RC) structure. The two sublattices of the RC structure each consists of parallel rows of molecules in their all-trans conformation aligned with their long axis parallel to the surface and forming so-called lamellas of width approximately equal to the all-trans length of the molecule. The RC structure is uniaxially commensurate with the graphite surface in its [110] direction such that the distance between molecular rows in a lamella is 4.26?� = mathag, where ag = 2.46?� is the lattice constant of the graphite basal plane. Molecules in adjacent rows of a lamella alternate in orientation between the carbon skeletal plane being parallel and perpendicular to the graphite surface. Upon heating, the crystalline monolayers transform to a "smectic" phase in which the inter-row spacing within a lamella expands by ~10% and the molecules are predominantly oriented with the carbon skeletal plane parallel to the graphite surface. In the smectic phase, the MD simulations show evidence of broadening of the lamella boundaries as a result of molecules diffusing parallel to their long axis. At still higher temperatures, they indicate that the introduction of gauche defects into the alkane chains drives a melting transition to a monolayer fluid phase as reported previously.This work was supported by U.S. National Science Foundation under Grant Nos. DMR-0411748 and DMR-0705974