Fecundity, Food Habits, Age and Growth, Length-Weight Relationships and Condition of Channel Catfish, Ictalurus Punctatus (Rafinesque), in a 3300-Acre Turbid Oklahoma Reservoir

Zoolog

Growth Rate Responses of Missouri and Lower Yellowstone River Fishes to a Latitudinal Gradient

Notropis atherinoides, freshwater drums Aplodinotus grunniens, river carpsuckers Carpiodes carpio and saugers Stizostedion canadense collected in 1996-1998 from nine river sections of the Missouri and lower Yellowstone rivers at two life-stages (young-of-the-year and age 1+ years) were significantly different among sections. However, they showed no river-wide latitudinal trend except for age 1+ years emerald shiners that did show a weak negative relation between growth and both latitude and length of growing season. The results suggest growth rates of fishes along the Missouri River system are complex and could be of significance in the management and conservation of fish communities in this altered system

Mercury toxicity in livers of northern pike (Esox lucius) from Isle Royale, USA

Author Posting. © Elsevier B.V., 2007. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Elsevier B.V. for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part C: Toxicology & Pharmacology 147 (2008): 331-338, doi:10.1016/j.cbpc.2007.12.003.Many laboratory studies have documented that mercury can be toxic to fish, but it is largely unknown if mercury is toxic to fish in their natural environments. The objective of our study was to investigate the toxic effects of mercury on northern pike (Esox lucius) at Isle Royale, Michigan. In 124 northern pike from eight inland lakes, concentrations of total mercury in skin-on fillets ranged from 0.069 to 0.622 µg/g wet wt. Concentrations of total mercury in livers increased exponentially compared with concentrations in fillets, to a maximum of 3.1 µg/g wet wt. Methylmercury constituted a majority of the mercury in livers with total mercury concentrations <0.5 µg/g wet wt, but declined to 28-51% of the mercury in livers with total mercury concentrations >0.5 µg/g wet wt. Liver color (absorbance at 400 nm) varied among northern pike and was positively related to liver total mercury concentration. The pigment causing variation in liver color was identified as lipofuscin, which results from lipid peroxidation of membranous organelles. An analysis of covariance revealed lipofuscin accumulation was primarily associated with mercury exposure, and this association obscured any normal accumulation from aging. We also documented decreased lipid reserves in livers and poor condition factors of northern pike with high liver total mercury concentrations. Our results suggest (i) northern pike at Isle Royale are experiencing toxicity at concentrations of total mercury common for northern pike and other piscivorous fish elsewhere in North America and (ii) liver color may be useful for indicating mercury exposure and effects in northern pike at Isle Royale and possibly other aquatic ecosystems and other fish species.Financial support was provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency STAR Graduate Fellowship Program to P.E.D

Older and Aging Cape Verdean Women: Sense of Self, Health, and Customs

For older women of color with immigrant status migration to the United States means facing different and sometimes difficult circumstances, language differences, resettlement, learning new and different ways of relating, and other transnational issues. Their life circumstances are further compound by the aging process, which is influenced by when and where they were born, life experiences, losses and gains, and cultural traditions. Currently, there is a paucity of scholarly literature on Cape Verdean women in general and older Cape Verdean women in particular. Using grounded theory methodology which supports the utilization of the voices and language of the research participants, this study will begin to create a theoretical base for understanding the processes used to respond to general life stressors and stressors unique to this population. Further, this study explores: 1] How do older and aging Cape Verdean women experience the aging process? 2] What are their sources of empowerment and resilience

Socially Just Mental Health Practice

Social justice is a morally indispensable and ethically imperative component when delivering mental health services to culturally and ethnically diverse population. The primary goal of this workshop is to explore the ways in which clinical mental health practitioners engage in social justice work. It is important to recognize that those who are experiencing various forms of oppression including ageism, classism, racism, ethnocentrism, mental and physical (dis)ability, sexism, and heterosexism are especially vulnerable to mental illness. Indeed, individuals’ psychological suffering is often caused by political, social, cultural, and economic stratification. Because of this, social justice becomes a critical clinical tool that uplifts voices of those who are socially and economically marginalized in our society. By empowering people to engage in social change, consciousness raising, and resilience building, social justice promotes the psychological well-being of those who are socially marginalized and economically disenfranchised in our society

Informing Pedagogy and Social Justice: Voices that Examine Injustice and Oppression

Narratives or “counterstories” associated with oppression are often impeded by centuries of silence, where voices are trivialized, overlooked, and ignored. In this workshop, voices and stories will be used to inform about the negative effects of injustice and the importance of process and class discussion that acknowledge the affective and intellectual responses associated with injustice that may occur in everyday interactions

Plenary 2: Rethinking Social Work in Times of War and Social Violence

The changing nature of armed conflict in the 20th century shifted the burden of casualties from those on the battlefields to whole communities and countries. Great powers or purveyors of one ideology fight “proxy wars”. Civilians become victims of the fights. They are oppressed and marginalized as war damages the fabric of their society and interrupt the psychological and social wellbeing of children, families and communities. This presentation focuses on refugees who are now resettled in the United States as survivors of war, violence, and trauma. Their different types of reactions to war and resettlement are explored with an emphasis of their experiences as survivors of violence, trauma, and recovery