A comparison of floristic diversity in old-growth versus mid-successional secondary-growth hardwood forests of the White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire, United States

There is currently debate over whether managed forests will ever regain the species diversity of old-growth stands. While succession and response to disturbance of tree species has been extensively researched, little similar effort has focused on understory herbaceous communities. This study conducted large-scale, comprehensive botanical inventories of three old-growth and three mid-successional (80--100 year old) secondary forest stands in New Hampshire\u27s White Mountain National Forest (WMNF). Cluster analysis and TWINSPAN grouped the secondary sites within two steps. Old-growth floras were significantly richer in total, total herbaceous, woodland herbaceous, and unique herbaceous species. Abundance distributions of the two treatment groups were significantly different according to Chit results: more woodland herbaceous species of rare, infrequent, or dominant abundance rank occurred in old-growth sites. Floristic similarities were analyzed using Sorensen\u27s Index of Similarity. Tree community data did not reflect differences in floristic diversity, suggesting that reliance on tree data alone to infer system recovery from disturbance would be misleading

Still Ringing the Alarm: An Enduring Call to Action for Black Youth Suicide Prevention

In 2019, the Congressional Black Caucus Emergency Task Force on Black Youth Suicide and Mental Health sounded the alarm about concerning suicide trends among Black youth in their report, Ring the Alarm. This present report not only urges us to renew the urgent call to action, but also to critically interrogate the socioecological factors and structures—including institutional racism—that contribute to suicide risk among Black youth and how those factors create significant barriers for researchers and implementors trying to save their lives.This report is comprised of six main sections. The first section provides an overview of data pertaining to Black youth suicide ideation, attempts, and deaths to contextualize the problem, data trends, and how that varies based on intersectional identities. The second section contextualizes risk factors unique to Black youth using the socioecological model. The third section provides an overview of unique protective factors for Black youth, with the fourth section summarizing some existing evidence-informed and best practices for Black youth suicide prevention. The fifth section reviews gaps and impediments to Black youth suicide prevention, followed by the sixth section that provides recommendations developed to advance this work forward.This report serves as a renewal of the CBC task force's original call to action as well as a guide for policymakers, advocates, stakeholders, and federal, state, and local governments to understand the issue of Black youth suicide. The report identifies potential evidence-informed interventions and practice-based evidence to implement and address this enduring crisis, while also engaging in the longer-term work necessary to address upstream, structural factors that contribute to Black youth's suicide risk. Finally, the report also explores barriers researchers and implementors face to develop evidence-based and culturally responsive interventions to save Black youth's lives

Economic impact of the Florida cultured hard clam industry

(29pp.

Masculinities Matter: The Role of Masculinities in Depression, Suicide, and Substance Abuse Among African American, Hispanic/Latino, and Alaska Native/American Indian Boys and Men

The authors focus on African American, Hispanic/Latino, and Native American boys and men of color who face some of the most compelling health disparities and inequities in our nation. Given the significant amount of male mortality attributable to substance abuse, suicide, or depression, the authors address these three behavioral health outcomes. This focus is further supported by evidence documenting the notable amount of comorbidity between these behavioral health outcomes and other chronic diseases (e.g., cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer) linked to the disproportionate health disadvantage shouldered by BMOC

Aquaculture and marketing of the Florida Bay Scallop in Crystal River, Florida

The overall goal of this study was to develop a new fishery resource product through open-water aquaculture for the west coast of Florida that would compete as a non-traditional product through market development. Specific objectives were as follows: I. To grow a minimum of 50, 000 juvenile scallops to a minimum market size of40 mm in a cage and float system in the off-shore waters of Crystal River, Florida. 2. To determine the growth rate, survival, and time to market size for the individuals in this system and area to other similar projects like Virginia. 3. To introduce local fishermen and the aquaculture students at Crystal River High School to the hatchery, nursery, and grow-out techniques. 4. To determine the economic and financial characteristics of bay scallop culture in Florida and assess the sensitivity of projected costs and earnings to changes in key technical, managerial, and market related parameters. 5. To determine the market acceptability and necessary marketing strategy for whole bay scallop product in Florida. (PDF has 99 pages.

Enhancing Seed Availability For the Hard Clam (Mercenaria mercenaria) Aquaculture Industry By Applying Remote Setting Techniques

The goal of this study was to test a technology that may help ensure a reliable and consistent supply of high quality and inexpensive clam seed to growers, thus fostering an emerging aquaculture industry by eliminating a seed shortage that limits sustainability. The overall objectives were to develop, test and demonstrate technical procedures and determine the financial feasibility of transferring remote setting technology from the Pacific Northwest molluscan shellfish industry to the hard clam aquaculture industry in Florida. (PDF has 44 pages.

A MIXED METHODS EXAMINATION OF DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMATOLOGY AND USUAL SOURCES OF CARE AMONG BLACK MEN

Background: Black men report having a usual source of care (USOC) less frequently than non-Black men and women. Yet, few studies examine the role of depressive symptoms and psychosocial factors and its relationship to USOC reporting in this population. Thus, the goal of this dissertation study to investigate the direct and moderated associations between Black men’s depressive symptom factors and USOC reporting. Methods: Data from Manuscripts 1 and 2 were drawn from a cross-sectional, community-based sample of Black men (n=683) from the African American Men’s Health and Social Life Study. Manuscript 1 assesses the dimensional structure of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) 12-item scale using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Manuscript 2 builds on these findings to assess the association between the confirmed CES-D factor structure and USOC status using a latent moderated structural equation modeling approach. This study tests the direct depression factor-USOC status relationship and assesses race and gender-related moderators (John Henryism, Masculine role norms salience, Restrictive Emotionality, and Racial Centrality). Finally, Manuscript 3 uses concept mapping data collected from Black men and stakeholders (n=36) to determine how depressive symptoms are conceptualized and connected to Black men’s USOC use. Results: In Manuscript 1, two latent factors emerged from CES-D scale: interpersonal negative affect (INA) and diminished positive affect (DPA). In Manuscript 2, the INA factor was negatively associated with USOC reporting (β = -0.770, p<0.01). In contrast, the DPA factor was not significantly associated with USOC reporting (β = 0.693, p=0.096). Interactive effects from the latent moderated analyses showed no significant psychosocial moderators. Finally, in Manuscript 3, participants identified 68 unique characteristics of depression reflected across five conceptual domains: (1) physical states, (2) emotional states, (3) diminished drive, (4) internal conflicts, and (5) communication with others. Of these, the physical states cluster was most commonly associated with USOC use, followed by diminished drive. Conclusions : Findings from this study will inform efforts to improve existing mental health care delivery models for Black men. Additionally, results reflect the diverse range of symptomatology that reflect gendered aspects of the depression experience.Doctor of Philosoph

Intelligent Agents for Disaster Management

ALADDIN [1] is a multi-disciplinary project that is developing novel techniques, architectures, and mechanisms for multi-agent systems in uncertain and dynamic environments. The application focus of the project is disaster management. Research within a number of themes is being pursued and this is considering different aspects of the interaction between autonomous agents and the decentralised system architectures that support those interactions. The aim of the research is to contribute to building more robust multi-agent systems for future applications in disaster management and other similar domains