Preliminary estimates of mass-loss rates, changes in stable isotope composition, and invertebrate colonisation of evergreen and deciduous leaves in a Waikato, New Zealand, stream.

Rates of mass loss are important in the choice of tree species used in riparian rehabilitation because leaves that break down fast should contribute to stream food-webs more rapidly than leaves that break down more slowly. To examine comparative mass-loss rates of some native evergreen and introduced deciduous trees in a New Zealand stream, fallen leaves were incubated in bags with 2 x 3 mm mesh openings. The native trees were mahoe (Melicytus ramiflorus), kahikatea (Dacrycarpus dacrydioides), silver beech (Nothofagus menziesii), rewarewa (Knightia excelsa), tawa (Beilschmiedia tawa), and the introduced trees were silver birch (Betula pendula) and alder (Alnus glutinosa). The leaf bags were left in the Mangaotama Stream for 28 days from mid April to mid May 1995 when mean water temperature was 14.5deg.C, giving a total of 406 degree days. Rates of mass loss followed the sequence: mahoe > silver birch > alder > kahikatea > silver beech > rewarewa > tawa. Mean mass-loss rate for mahoe, assuming a negative exponential model, was 0.0507 k day-1 (0.00350 k (degree day)-1), and for tawa was 0.0036 k day-1 (0.00025 k (degree day)-1). C:N ratio decreased on average from 45:1 to 35:1, and d15N increased between 0.7 and 3.0[[perthousand]] (1.8 +/- 0.41[[perthousand]], mean +/-1 standard error), excluding kahikatea. Changes in d13C were smaller and not consistent in direction. Biomass of invertebrates was greatest in bags that had lost 25-45% of their initial leaf biomass

Syndromic Surveillance Markers Associated with Dengue in Saint Lucia

This study was executed to identify the specific clinical symptoms associated with dengue in Saint Lucia. A retrospective, non-experimental study was designed using syndromic surveillance data from the Ministry of Health and Wellness Saint Lucia from 2009-2017. Results allowed the demonstration of a significant relationship between undifferentiated fever, acute respiratory infections or fever with respiratory signs, gastroenteritis, and dengue. These results potentially can be used by clinicians in Saint Lucia to more quickly identify cases of dengue that may have otherwise not have included dengue in an initial differential diagnoses list, especially in light of a current regional dengue epidemic. Recommended Citation Lee, B. (2020, October 1-2). Syndromic surveillance markers associated with dengue in Saint Lucia [Poster presentation]. Walden University Research Conference 2020 (online). https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/researchconference/2020/posters/#4

The (New) New Colossus : Amending the Investor Visa Program to Comport with the Mandate of the United States\u27 Immigration Policy and Benefit U.S. Workers

(Excerpt) Part I of this Note will examine the failure of the INA, focusing on the de facto quota system implemented in place of the explicit national origins quota system. Further, it will show how the Immigration Act of 1990 failed to address this problem. Part II of this Note will look specifically at the EB-5 Investor Visa Program created by the Immigration Act of 1990. This part will explore the practical usage and advantages conferred to those who participate in the program. In addition, this part will analyze how these advantages give rise to disparate effects among prospective immigrants of differing economic means and thus run afoul of the INA’s mandate for admission based on “fair, rational, [and] humane” considerations. Part III of this Note turns to the twin purpose of the EB-5 Investor Visa Program itself: first, to attract the investment of foreign capital in the United States, and second, to promote the creation of U.S. jobs. This part of the Note will examine the changes Congress made to the EB-5 Investor Visa Program through the legislation of the Investor Visa Pilot Program and how that program further favors the goal of attracting capital investment at the cost of actual job creation. Part IV of this Note examines how other provisions of the overall EB-5 program also favor the goal of attracting capital investment at the expense of actual job creation. Part V of this note proposes a new immigrant visa preference category: the EB-7 Immigrant Job Creator Visa Program, which is designed to provide relief to immigrants subject to the more onerous de facto quotas imposes by the INA and carried through by the Immigration Act of 1990 while at the same time overhauling the EB-5 Investor Visa Program to comport with the overarching policy goals set forth in the INA as well as the policy goals of the program itself. Finally, Part VI will illustrate how the proposed EB-7 Immigrant Job Creator Visa Program will harmonize the United States’ immigration law with the overarching policy goals of the INA

Modelling soil erosion and transport in the Burrishoole catchment, Newport, Co. Mayo, Ireland

The Burrishoole catchment is situated in County Mayo, on the northwest coast of the Republic of Ireland. Much of the catchment is covered by blanket peat that, in many areas, has become heavily eroded in recent years. This is thought to be due, primarily, to the adverse effects of forestry and agricultural activities in the area. Such activities include ploughing, drainage, the planting and harvesting of trees, and sheep farming, all of which are potentially damaging to such a sensitive landscape if not managed carefully. This article examines the sediment yield and hydrology of the Burrishoole catchment. Flow and sediment concentrations were measured at 8-hourly intervals from 5 February 2001 to 8 November 2001 with an automatic sampler and separate flow gauge, and hourly averages were recorded between 4 July 2002 and 6 September 2002 using an automatic river monitoring system [ARMS]. The authors describe the GIS-based model of soil erosion and transport that was applied to the Burrishoole catchment during this study. The results of these analyses were compared, in a qualitative manner, with the aerial photography available for the Burrishoole catchment to see whether areas that were predicted to contribute large proportions of eroded material to the drainage network corresponded with areas where peat erosion could be identified through photo-interpretation

Ecological and physical characteristics of the Te Awa O Katapaki Stream, Flagstaff, Waikato

1. The fish, macroinvertebrates, aquatic vegetation, and water quality indicate that the Te Awa O Katapaki Stream is an unpolluted, pastureland stream that is typical of the Waikato region. 2. The stream has very high nutrient concentrations that probably result from the dairy farming upstream. 3. The fish fauna is dominated by the native shortfinned eels. The presence of the migratory common smelt indicates that swimming fish species also have free access to the stream from the Waikato River. 4. Fish of high conservation value, such as giant or banded kokopu (Galaxias argenteus or G. fasciatus) were absent, which is predictable given the warm, unshaded nature of the stream. 5. Fish and invertebrates would soon recolonise the restored stream following any work in the streambed

Women's pathogen disgust predicting preference for facial masculinity may be specific to age and study design

Facial masculinity in men is thought to be an indicator of good health. Consistent with this idea, previous research has found a positive association between pathogen avoidance (disgust sensitivity) and preference for facial masculinity. However, previous studies are mostly based on young adult participants and targets, using forced-choice preference measures; this begs the question whether the findings generalise to other adult age groups or other preference measures. We address this by conducting three studies assessing facial masculinity preferences of a wider age range of women for a wider age range of male faces. In studies 1 and 2, 447 and 433 women respectively made forced choices between two identical faces that were manipulated on masculinity/femininity. In study 1, face stimuli were manipulated on sexual dimorphism using age-matched templates, while in study 2 young face stimuli were manipulated with older templates and older face stimuli were manipulated using young templates. In the full sample for study 1, no association was found between women's pathogen disgust and masculinity preference, but when limiting the sample to younger women rating younger faces we replicated previous findings of significant association between pathogen disgust and preference for facial masculinity. Results for study 2 found no effect of pathogen disgust sensitivity on facial masculinity preferences regardless of participant and stimuli age. In study 3, the facial masculinity preferences of 386 women were revealed through their attractiveness ratings of natural (unmanipulated) faces. Here, we did not find a significant association of pathogen disgust on facial masculinity preferences, regardless of participant and stimuli age. These results call into question the robustness of the link between women's pathogen avoidance and facial masculinity preference, and raise questions as to why the effect is specific to younger adults and the forced-choice preference measure