Cucurbit Pollination: Mechanisms and Management to Optimise Field Quality and Quantity

Negative impacts from intensifying agriculture have generated concerns that pollinator-dependent crop species, such as courgette Cucurbita pepo L., may be experiencing a pollination deficit. This thesis explores the extent to which pollination influences fruit set; how pollination could be improved; and how in doing so growers’ profits and agricultural resilience could increase, using UK field-grown courgettes as a model system. Inspired by evidence of parthenocarpy (fruit set in the absence of fertilisation) in courgette, a systematic review showed extensive use of parthenocarpy to circumvent the need for pollination in other ‘pollinator-dependent’ crop species across the globe. Nonetheless, pollination significantly increased yield and pollinators were abundant enough to fulfil the pollination requirements of courgette, which if extrapolated to the rest of the UK, equates to pollinators contributing approximately £2.7 million to annual UK courgette production. Furthermore, wild flowers within fields were shown to be effective at increasing the abundance of bumblebees and solitary bees. Further exploration of the mutualistic relationship between courgettes and pollinators showed that courgette can improve populations of Bombus terrestris (using the Bumble-BEEHAVE model), an important pollinator of courgette. This thesis concludes that pollination is a vital mechanism for ensuring optimal courgette yields and that whilst pollination levels were maximal at study sites, simple management, such as encouraging wild flowers within courgette fields could help to attract pollinators to courgette flowers and support bees’ nutritional requirements beyond the extensive, yet transient, resource provided by courgette. Understanding a crop’s requirement for pollinators can also aid growers in their decision making about what varieties and sites should be used which could increase their agricultural resilience and further their economic advantage. Further work is needed to understand how other environmental factors interact with pollination to influence fruit set so that growers can prioritise key regulating services in their management for optimal crop yields.Agriculture and Horticulture Development Boar

On the reproductive biology of the western Atlantic bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus

The Atlantic bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus, is a highly migratory species capable of traversing great distances throughout the North Atlantic Ocean, but spawning is known to occur only in the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico/Straits of Florida. The regulatory body charged with managing Atlantic bluefin tuna, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), currently recognizes two spawning stocks, eastern and western, separated by a management line at 45° W. The eastern stock spawns from May through July in the Mediterranean Sea with an age at first maturity of 3--4 years. Due in part to a moratorium on fishing for bluefin tuna in the Gulf of Mexico, considerably less research has been conducted on the western spawning stock, and, subsequently, knowledge about basic biological characteristics of this stock is lacking. The age at maturity for western bluefin tuna has been reported as 5--16 years and is a topic of debate among fisheries managers. For stock assessment and management, ICCAT assumes an age at maturity for western bluefin tuna of 9 years. While only two spawning grounds are known, fish of reproductively mature size routinely do not return to either of these two locations during the presumed spawning season indicating additional spawning grounds may exist. Atlantic bluefin tuna were sampled on and off the known spawning grounds, and maturity status was determined for male and female fish. All fish sampled on the spawning grounds (n=250) had mature gonads, and the spawning season in the north/central Gulf of Mexico was defined as April--June. Histological analyses showed a peak in oocyte maturation, and thus spawning activity, in May in the Gulf of Mexico sampling region. Actively spawning fish from the Mediterranean Sea were compared with those from the Gulf of Mexico. Realized fecundity and spawning periodicity were found to be similar for both stocks, but the western spawning stock sampled in the north/central Gulf of Mexico spawns one month earlier than the eastern stock. Fish sampled far from the known spawning grounds provided further information about the reproductive condition of western bluefin tuna. The youngest female and male to show signs of maturity had estimated ages of 6 years and 5 years, respectively. About one quarter of all females sampled contained vitellogenic or early atretic oocytes, and based on rates of atresia, it is unlikely these fish spawned in the Gulf of Mexico. These results provide more extensive information about the reproductive biology of western Atlantic bluefin tuna and revise the age at maturity for the western spawning stock. This lower size and age at maturity, coupled with new results from endocrinology and electronic tagging data, suggests alternative spawning grounds exist, and more comprehensive spatial and temporal sampling is necessary to understand the reproductive biology of Atlantic bluefin tuna

An Interconnected Foundational Art Curriculum

This project shows the development of an interconnected foundational art curriculum which combines the concepts of organization, studentinvolved classroom assessment, Discipline-Based Art Education, and the elements and principles of design. This project was developed to provide art teachers with a curriculum that would give beginning art students foundational knowledge in art. This project focuses on teaching students a basic foundation for creating and understanding art while incorporating the four disciplines of DBAE. Through an interconnected art curriculum, students will gain a greater understanding of art due to the careful organization of the lessons and student-involved classroom assessment

Angular limb deformities affecting the canine radius and ulna : classification using the center of rotation of angulation method

We hypothesized that 1) antebrachial ALDs would be more complex with respect to multiplicity in chondrodystrophic dogs, and 2) more complex ALDs would exhibit a higher incidence of concurrent joint radiographic disease. Medical records from 2006 to 2013 were searched and cases included of dogs diagnosed with thoracic limb lameness attributable to antebrachial ALDs with orthogonal radiographs or CT scans of the affected antebrachium. Classification of the deformity in the frontal plane, and the presence of sagittal plane angulation, torsion, and adjacent joint radiographic disease were determined and compared. Thirty-five uniapical, 70 biapical, and 1 multiapical deformities in the frontal plane were identified. The incidence of biapical deformities was statistically higher in chondrodystrophic versus non-chondrodystrophic dogs (P = 0.02). When breeds were combined, biapical deformities were associated with a significantly higher incidence of adjacent joint radiographic disease (P = 0.049); more frequently resulting in elbow disease (P = 0.022). Overall, 82% of the 106 limbs had radiographic evidence of either elbow or carpal joint disease at the time of presentation. In dogs with limb deformities, particularly chondrodystrophic dogs, biapical deformities are common. Adjacent joint radiographic disease should be evaluated in all patients presenting for antebrachial deformities

How To Respond?

My work explores the ways that humans alter and arrange our surroundings to communicate emotions and designate value. I observe my immediate environment, focusing on the more subtle ways we communicate using flowering plants, for example in an individual's garden, a university park, or even a shopping center entrance. I also research formalized, even ritualized disciplines like Ikebana flower arranging, botanical garden displays, historical decorative art traditions that used botanical forms as resources, and artists who subtly alter spaces and our perceptions of space. By adapting the formal languages of these disciplines, and applying them to the arrangement of sculptural objects that I create, I intend to evoke an emotional sense or feeling in the viewer while calling attention to the fact that the experience is constructed.</p

Early Detection Of Mild Cognitive Impairment In Older Adults Through The Use Of Annual Screening In The Primary Care Setting

The purpose of this study was to determine primary care providers’ adherence to USPSTF (2015), and the Alzheimer’s Association’s (2013) recommendations and guidelines advocating annual cognitive impairment screening on patients ages 65 years and older. The Alzheimer’s Association issued an algorithm for detecting cognitive impairment in older adults; this cognitive assessment algorithm was accepted and mandated by U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services during annual wellness visits of patients 65 years and older. In addition to the Alzheimer’s Association, USPSTF acknowledges the increasing prevalence of cognitive impairment and the benefits of early detection. However, USPSTF argues a lack o f research and information on the subject; to which, the current study attempted to aid the increasing data on cognitive screening in older adults (USPSTF, 2014). This study examined the amount of primary providers’ compliance in completing cognitive impairment screenings of older adults, probable barriers decreasing provider adherence of implementing annual cognitive testing of older adults, and the preferred methods and tools utilized for cognitive impairment screening o f those adults ages 65 years and older

Socio-psychological factors, beyond knowledge, predict people's engagement in pollinator conservation

1. Nature conservation often depends on the behaviour of individuals, which can bedriven by socio-psychological factors such as a person's attitude, knowledge andidentity. Despite extensive ecological research about pollinator declines, there hasbeen almost no social research assessing the drivers of people's engagement inpollinator conservation.2. To address this gap, we used a large-scale, online questionnaire in the UnitedKingdom, broadly framed around the Theory of Planned Behaviour. We received atotal of 1,275 responses from a wide range of ages, incomes and education levels,despite a selection bias towards people with a pre-existing interest in pollinators.3. A range of socio-psychological factors predicted people's pollinator conservation actions and explained 45% of the variation. Respondents’ diversity of natureinteractions and perceived behavioural control (feeling able to help pollinators)were consistently important predictors of people's pollinator conservation actions, whilst the importance of other socio-psychological factors depended onthe particular action.4. Notably, knowledge was far less important overall than people's perceptions andother socio-psychological factors, highlighting a knowledge-action gap. Furtherunexplained variation in people's behaviour could partly be due by structural andcontextual factors, particularly regarding social norms around tidiness.5. From a practical perspective, our findings reveal three main insights. First, several simple, low-cost pollinator conservation actions (reduced mowing, leavingareas unmown and creating patches of bare ground for ground-nesting bees)are currently under-utilised so should be priorities for pollinator conservationprogrammes.6. Second, strategies are needed to overcome reported practical barriers, for example by providing free resources (e.g. seeds of pollen- and nectar-rich plants) andcommunicating simple beneficial actions that can be carried out with limited time,space and money

Examining Levels of Catecholamine Neurotransmitter Regulatory Proteins Within the Prefrontal Cortex of Rodents Following Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) resulting from impact to the head can cause long lasting impairments of cognitive processes that lead to increased risk-taking behavior in clinical populations. Our laboratory has recently shown that female, but not age-matched male, rats increase preference for risky choices after multiple experimentally-induced mild TBI’s. Our overarching goal is to understand the neural mechanisms underlying TBI-induced increases in risk-taking behavior. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) plays a prominent role in risk-based decision making. Sub[1]regions of the PFC include the medial PFC (mPFC), the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), and the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and these sub[1]regions play specific roles in decision-making processes. Catecholamine neurotransmitter circuits, such as the dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE) systems, project to the PFC and modulate the PFC’s control over executive functions. Previous studies have demonstrated that both dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE) transmitter levels are increased in the PFC immediately following TBI, which is then followed by a persistent hypo-catecholaminergic state. These results suggest that an imbalance of catecholamine levels within the PFC may underlie aberrant decision-making behavior following TBI; however, it is not presently known what processes contribute to TBI-induced catecholamine imbalance. Here we examined how levels of catecholamine neurotransmitter regulatory proteins responsible for packaging (VMAT2) and degrading (COMT and MAO) are altered to explain chronic decreases in DA and NE levels observed in the PFC following TBI. Age-matched adult male and female Long Evans rats (n=6-8) were exposed to either a single or a series of three closed head controlled cortical impact (CH-CCI) injuries over the course of one week. Rats were sacrificed and brain tissue (mPFC, OFC, and ACC) were collected and standard western blotting protocols were used to measure the levels of VMAT2, COMT, and MAO in each sub-region

At a Crossroads: MidTown, Inc. 2005-2015

Established in 2005, MidTown, Inc., a self-identified community development organization, celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2016. After a decade’s work, the organization is presently reviewing its activities as it takes a moment to consider its future trajectory. To facilitate this process MidTown, Inc. partnered with Columbus State University’s Columbus Community Geography Center to support MidTown, Inc.’s efforts. In fall 2015, nine students in CSU’s urban geography course, taught by Dr. Amanda Rees, researched and completed this report including: Celeb Ashburn, Cheltzie Brown, Eric Derhammer, Jessica Dixon, Kelsie Hughes, Rachel Knapp, Morgan Robinson, Anastasia Romain, and C.E. Sturgeon. An online report summary is also published at CSU’s Archives In approaching this project, students developed two questions: What is Midtown (the region), and what MidTown, Inc.? To address those questions students prepared a short overview of Midtown’s expansion between the 1830s and 1970s and developed demographic date exploring age, racial and ethnic mix, and levels of education in each of Midtown’s block groups to better understand the population within this 6-square mile district. Students created a short history of community development in the U.S. to place MidTown, Inc. within that broader context. Having conducted and then transcribed nine oral histories with people involved in the creation and evolution of MidTown, Inc., students drew upon those documents to develop a timeline of MidTown, Inc. along with a narrative history of the organization’s evolution