A Surprising Symbiosis: Examining the Mutualism in Department of Defense Conservation Partnerships

Because of the DoD’s unique and significant role in the conservation of natural resources, military leaders and natural resource managers need a trail guide to frame interagency collaboration in a way that shapes productive partnerships. The purpose of this research was to examine successful DoD conservation partnerships in order to identify key success factors (KSFs) and the most prominent challenges faced, and how those characteristics enable the accomplishment of each partner’s objectives. The research questions were answered through a comprehensive literature review and the use of the multiple-case study method. 19 key informants from three installations participated in semi-structured interviews, and the solicitation of documentation and archival records from the same installations provided additional data. The research identified four themes of KSFs that enhance a partnership’s ability to overcome four key groups of challenges. The presence of these KSFs, and the partnership’s ability to overcome the challenges, leads to the achievement of three main categories of organizational objectives. The culmination of this effort was the development of a collaborative guide and framework to outline the key elements in the formation and maintenance of successful partnerships. Finally, recommendations to implement this framework, along with recommendations for future research, are discussed

Examining the effects of prey type and water temperature on the feeding behavior of a benthic generalist mesopredator, the California two-spot octopus (Octopus bimaculoides)

Coleoid cephalopods (squids, octopuses, and cuttlefish) have been widely studied for a diversity of scientific inquiries. Despite their relevance as model organisms to fields such as cognitive psychology, neuroethology and physiology, there is still much to be learned about their own biology and how they interact with their environment. One group in particular, nearshore benthic octopuses, occupy an important ecological role as mid-level predators who are also a food resource to a myriad of other predators. Octopuses are generalist carnivores consuming a wide range of prey. They are also poikilotherms and are therefore physiologically sensitive to changes in their physical environment. However, little is known about how biotic and abiotic factors—such as prey type and water temperature—influence their complex suite of feeding behaviors. To investigate the effects of prey type and acute changes in water temperature on prey search, capture, and handling, I conducted controlled feeding trials with the California two-spot octopus (Octopus bimaculoides) and analyzed the videos to extract an integrative combination of behavioral measures and attack kinematics. In Chapter 1, I presented each octopus with either a live crab or live clam, to assess the behavioral variation associated with the characteristics of two distinct prey types. In clam trials, octopuses were less hesitant to approach or touch the prey, but conducted slower attacks, whereas while octopuses were more initially hesitant in crab trials their attacks on crab prey were more dynamic and deliberate. Prey type did not affect octopuses body orientation, arm usage, or eye choice. I also describe an interesting locomotion pattern for these octopuses where they move in a sinusoidal path along the bottom of the tank immediately prior to the attack of a crab, in an apparent corralling of the more mobile prey. For Chapter 2, I studied the effects of acute temperature change at three different treatment levels (baseline (14-17 °C), 20 °C, and 23 °C) on the feeding behavior of O. bimaculoides on live crab prey. I found that temperature had a significant negative effect on the probability that an octopus would attack their prey occurring in the feeding trial, and that warmer water produced longer latency to make an initial movement during the commencement of a trial, slower attack velocity and acceleration, and longer prey handling time. Finally, I discuss the ecological implications of my findings, and how these kinds of changes to octopus predator-prey dynamics could scale up to have system-level impacts

Toward an integrated approach to perception and action: conference report and future directions

This article was motivated by the conference entitled “Perception & Action – An Interdisciplinary Approach to Cognitive Systems Theory,” which took place September 14–16, 2010 at the Santa Fe Institute, NM, USA. The goal of the conference was to bring together an interdisciplinary group of neuroscientists, roboticists, and theorists to discuss the extent and implications of action–perception integration in the brain. The motivation for the conference was the realization that it is a widespread approach in biological, theoretical, and computational neuroscience to investigate sensory and motor function of the brain in isolation from one another, while at the same time, it is generally appreciated that sensory and motor processing cannot be fully separated. Our article summarizes the key findings of the conference, provides a hypothetical model that integrates the major themes and concepts presented at the conference, and concludes with a perspective on future challenges in the field

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Volume: 6Start Page: 142End Page: 14

An evaluation of the office of Supervisor of health in Tulare County, California

There is a definite need for a systematic, objective study of the position of the Supervisor of Health in the Office of the Tulare County Superintendent of Schools. To meet this need the following material has been organized and evaluated.The purpose of the study is to examine the functions of the Supervisor of Health in Tulare County Schools with respect to School Health Services, Healthful School Environment, and Health Instruction