A Floristic Study of the Woodland Area of Brighton Town Park, Brighton, New York

This study investigates the diversity of flora in the woodland area of Brighton Town Park, in a suburban area in Western New York. Data was collected through weekly field observation visits during the growing season (April – October) in 1981. The researcher also made monthly visits during the winter months (November 1981 – February 1982). She then resumed frequent visits on a daily to a weekly basis in March of 1982, continuing through May of that year. The researcher took extensive field notes which included information the sequence of blooming times of flowering plants, and observations of the frequency of occurrence and distribution of the species found in the park. The researcher took special note on the locations of rare/scarce plants and the distribution of all species with respect to the presence of the three major habitat types of the woodland (Beech-Maple [SAF 60], Swamp Forest [SAF 39], and an edge habitat at the woodland’s perimeter). Ten soil samples were also collected in October 1981 to provide data on soil pH. Additional field observations include seasonal changes in leaf litter and changes in the amount/pattern of light that reached the floor. Plants which grew only in light patches created by tree falls were noted as well. Results include floristic results, a list of dominant and associated tree species, a map of the locations of scarce trees, a list of toxic flora found in the woodland, and a species list of vascular plants. Appendices include soil pH measurements, soil types, and food values to wildlife

Supporting Digital Scholarship in Research Libraries: Scalability and Sustainability

This is the peer-reviewed version of an article published in the Journal of Library Administration, 53(1), 2013, special issue 'Digital Humanities in Libraries: New Models for Scholarly Engagement.' Issue URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/wjla20/53/1 Article URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01930826.2013.756689 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/deed.en_US --- The open access table of contents of this special issue: http://micahvandegrift.wordpress.com/2013/01/30/proof/New York University Libraries and our partners in Information Technology Services offer effective enterprise-wide technology solutions for many academic practices, but we are still working to solve the 'faculty website problem'--providing services for digital scholarship and publishing in a way that is both scalable and sustainable. This article describes our study of NYU scholars' needs and digital scholarship support at other research institutions, and then introduces a service model we developed for supporting such services (which may include digitization, hosting of research data, digital publishing, the development of software for scholarly practices, and more). We then discuss the challenges to research libraries of implementing our service model in a scalable, sustainable way, by addressing project and tool selection, staffing, and organizational change

Does Wildfire and Cheatgrass Invasion in a Sage-steppe Ecosystem Change Soil Texture?

Fire and land-use changes influence vegetation types and alter below-ground carbon storage and soil characteristics; additionally, shrub-steppe environments are prone to cheatgrass invasion and subsequent alterations in soil morphology and characteristics following fire. We compared soil particle size, texture, consistence, structure, color and pH among adjacent but distinct sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp.), cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) and crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum) communities established following a 1983 fire in Kuna Butte of southwestern Idaho, a site underlain by basalt and mantled with loess. Soil characteristics were compared in qualitative field soil profiles (two pits per vegetation type) and laboratory hydrometer analyses from paired sites in different vegetation types. Our data does not support differences in soil particle size (silt, clay, sand) among vegetation types; however, particle size and distribution varied with depth within a single soil pit. Field texture classifications and hydrometer results indicate silt-loam was the most common soil type. This study shows no substantive change in soil texture with change in vegetation type; similarities in soil textures could be due to 1) insufficient time for manifestation of soil development following fire and establishment of vegetation, 2) inadequate sampling and/or sample distribution, 3) minimal influence of vegetation type on underlying soil characteristics

Parents know best: transgenerational predator recognition through parental effects

In highly biodiverse systems, such as coral reefs, prey species are faced with predatory threats from numerous species. Recognition of predators can be innate, or learned, and can help increase the chance of survival. Research suggests that parental exposure to increased predatory threats can affect the development, behaviour, and ultimately, success of their offspring. Breeding pairs of damselfish (Acanthochromis polyacanthus) were subjected to one of three olfactory and visual treatments (predator, herbivore, or control), and their developing embryos were subsequently exposed to five different chemosensory cues. Offspring of parents assigned to the predator treatment exhibited a mean increase in heart rate two times greater than that of offspring from parents in herbivore or control treatments. This increased reaction to a parentally known predator odour suggests that predator-treated parents passed down relevant threat information to their offspring, via parental effects. This is the first time transgenerational recognition of a specific predator has been confirmed in any species. This phenomenon could influence predator-induced mortality rates and enable populations to adaptively respond to fluctuations in predator composition and environmental changes

From High School to College: Teachers and Students Assess the Impact of an Expository Reading and Writing Course on College Readiness

The study aimed to examine teachers’ and students’ views on the impact of the Expository Reading and Writing Course (ERWC) on students’ college readiness and on teaching practices. Literature in the areas of college readiness, critiques of the English curriculum at the secondary level, and a review of research on the effects of ERWC are summarized. The mixed-methods study used a teacher survey, teacher interviews, and student focus groups. Findings showed that teachers reported making numerous changes and improvements in their teaching as a result of attending a professional development program and also reported making changes in other courses. Teachers found that ERWC helped student engagement, motivation, and learning and helped prepare students for college. Students reported learning strategies in the class that they transfer and apply in other classes. Using ERWC materials can strengthen participating teachers’ instruction and participating students’ learning

The Overlooked Deficits of Acquired Brain Injury: Bringing Visual Rehabilitation into Focus

Each year, 2.5 million Americans experience a form of ABI, including TBI and stroke (Englehardt, Richman & Weiss, 2003). Visual impairments often co-occur post-ABI, with 25% of stroke survivors experiencing visual field cuts and 40% of people with a TBI experiencing vision impairment (Englehardt et al., 2003; Rowe et al., 2009). Although vision impairment post-ABI impacts rehabilitation outcomes and occupational performance, it is frequently overlooked by healthcare practitioners (Nelms, 2000). OTs are uniquely suited to address the impact of visual deficits on occupational performance. This systematic appraisal of the literature examines interventions to address visual deficits in individuals with ABI. PubMed, Ovid Medline, and CINAHL databases were searched using terms pertaining to visual impairment, ABI, visual rehabilitation, and occupational therapy. Inclusion criteria required that articles be peer-reviewed, Level I-V evidence, published between 2004 and 2014, included adult participants, and addressed outcomes related to daily functioning and participation. Exclusion criteria further refined the search to exclude articles that contained pharmaceutical or surgical interventions, populations Evaluation of Quality of an Intervention Study. Emerging evidence supports the use of OT visual rehabilitation interventions in clinical practice to improve functional performance in adults with ABI (Radomski, Davidson, Voydetich & Erickson, 2009). In order to provide ethical, evidence-based services, OTs and other clinicians must understand the increased incidence and complexity of visual deficits associated with ABI. Evidence emphasizes the importance of immediate visual evaluation and optometrist referrals followed by client-centered intervention for best patient outcomes (Englehardt et al., 2003). Reviewed articles highlighted the use of a variety of compensatory and remedial interventions including prism lenses (Carman-Merrifield, 2005), environmental modifications (Copolillo & Ivanoff, 2012), and oculomotor training (Kapoor, Ciuffreda, & Han, 2004). This review found promising preliminary evidence to support OT intervention for neurovisual deficits; however, more rigorous studies are needed to inform clinical practice. Presentation: 43 minute

The Role of Dispersants in Oil Spill Remediation: Fundamental Concepts, Rationale for Use, Fate, and Transport Issues

ABSTRACTOffering a scientific perspective, this paper provides a rationale for the use of dispersants in oil spill remediation by discussing their formulations and modes of action and connecting their physics and chemistry to a their environmental fates and impacts. With the first use of dispersants at the source of the oil release during the Deepwater Horizon incident, there is a new great need for understanding the efficiency and the environmental impacts of their use. The paper concludes with some cautionary recommendations on dispersant research

Supporting Digital Humanities in the Library: Creating Sustainable and Scalable Services

The information landscape has evolved over the last few decades, resulting in an existential crisis for both academic libraries and university presses. Things we've taken for granted for more than a century (research and publishing models, our services, our content) are called into question and need to be redefined in partnership with our users. To date, changes in knowledge creation and dissemination have been more widespread in the sciences than in the humanities. Now, with the digital humanities' recent growth and evolution into the next big thing (http://goo.gl/1wz8d), we have the opportunity to follow the maturation of this field and rethink our services within this emerging paradigm. Some libraries and presses have long been involved in partnering with scholars on DH initiatives. But as DH becomes a mainstream option for more humanists, even libraries and presses late to the DH game will be forced to evolve their services accordingly. Libraries and presses must also explore how and when to collaborate to support scholars in our related, but not identical, missions. We must have a deep understanding of how knowledge production and dissemination is changing in the fields we serve, and partner with scholars to build new services that they actually need. Whether or not we do right by them will be the measure of our value going forward. The goal of NYU's current project is to better understand the research and publishing needs of scholars in the humanities at NYU and to research possible service and staffing models to support new web-based forms of scholarly communication. We are talking to peer institutions that already support these modes of scholarship and will interview NYU faculty to learn about what they need in this domain. The resulting report will identify a set of unmet user needs at NYU and will propose possible service and staffing models to address them. We will briefly describe our research and early findings from interviews with peer institutions and NYU faculty. We will then lead a discussion so participants can ask questions of each other and share experiences. Of particular interest: new service models adopted at other libraries and presses; evolving staff roles and skills needed to sustain these efforts; the relationship between enterprise services, one-off projects, and research and development; and successful models for ongoing partnership among scholars, libraries, and presses. This workshop should result in understanding and ongoing discussion among participants about how to be effective partners within the evolving scholarly landscape.As the digital humanities become a mainstream option for many scholars, libraries and presses have the chance to rethink our services. We must grasp how scholarly communication is changing, and partner with scholars to build services they need. This working session reports findings from interviews with peer institutions and NYU faculty that explored service models to support new scholarly modes, and includes discussion of: evolving staff roles and skills needed to sustain these efforts; the relationship between enterprise services, one-off projects, and research and development; and models for ongoing partnership among scholars, libraries, and presses. This workshop should result in improved understanding about how to be effective partners within the evolving scholarly landscape

The role of dispersants in oil spill remediation : fundamental concepts, rationale for use, fate, and transport issues

Offering a scientific perspective, this paper provides a rationale for the use of dispersants in oil spill remediation by discussing their formulations and modes of action and connecting their physics and chemistry to a their environmental fates and impacts. With the first use of dispersants at the source of the oil release during the Deepwater Horizon incident, there is a new great need for understanding the efficiency and the environmental impacts of their use. The paper concludes with some cautionary recommendations on dispersant research.Author Posting. © The Oceanography Society, 2016. This article is posted here by permission of The Oceanography Society for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Oceanography 29, no. 3 (2016): 108–117, doi:10.5670/oceanog.2016.75