Capacity Building and Resilience

This report from Arts Midwest, investigates how small and mid-sized arts organizations learn, adapt, and grow. Examining the experiences of eight organizations participating in this leadership and strategy development program, this report identifies four capacities that have helped organizations in Minnesota and North Dakota thrive in the face of operational challenges, staffing and leadership changes, and shifts in funding. Key takeaways offer insights for similar organizations seeking to build their resiliency and for grantmakers supporting the arts and culture sector

HABITAT CHARACTERISTICS AROUND FALL BLACKBIRD ROOSTS

In the fall, blackbirds form large flocks and roost overnight in cattail marshes. These blackbirds cause millions of dollars in damage to ripening sunflower fields in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota. By knowing the habitat characteristics around fall blackbird roosts sites, management officials may be able to predict future roost locations and then implement control techniques to help reduce blackbird damage to sunflower fields. We present data on the available habitat around blackbird roosts to determine if there is a relationship between the habitat and fall roost sites

THE INFLUENCE OF BREEDING EXPERIENCE ON NEST SUCCESS IN RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD

The Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) is a polygynous species, and females are typically responsible for the majority of parental care. Despite their limited involvement, males can contribute to reproduction through nest defense and the feeding of nestlings. Some aspects of nest defense may be learned, and older males are more likely to feed young, suggesting that males with previous breeding experience may enjoy higher nest success than their naïve counterparts. We manipulated territory ownership on 10 wetlands in central North Dakota in order to examine the influence of breeding experience on reproductive success. We found no evidence that breeding experience increased nest survival (x– = 23.0%) or increased the number of fledglings per nest (x– = 2.2). In this population, territory quality may contribute more to nesting success than male parental contributions

Feasibility of non-lethal approaches to protect riparian plants from foraging beavers in North America

Beavers in North America will occupy almost any wetland area containing available forage. Wetland restoration projects often provide the resources necessary for dispersing beavers to create desirable habitats. Their wide distribution and ability to disperse considerable distances almost assure that beavers will establish themselves in new wetlands. Although beavers are a natural and desirable component of a wetland ecosystem, their foraging behaviors can be destructive. Fencing may be a feasible approach to reduce damage to small, targeted areas, and textural repellents may provide some utility to protect established trees. However, these non-lethal approaches will be marginally effective when beaver populations become excessive. Beaver populations need to be maintained at levels that permit viable colonies while still permitting plant communities to flourish. This will require a better understanding of beaver movements, site and forage selection, and reproductive characteristics. This is particularly true when management objectives and regulations prohibit beaver removal from project sites

Shock Index Values and Trends in Pediatric Sepsis: Predictors or Therapeutic Targets? A retrospective observational study

BACKGROUND: Shock index (SI) (heart rate/systolic blood pressure) has been used to predict outcome in both adult and pediatric sepsis within the intensive care unit (ICU). We aimed to evaluate the utility of SI prior to pediatric ICU (PICU) admission. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective observational study of children referred to a pediatric intensive care transport service (PICTS) between 2005 and 2011. The predictive value of SI, heart rate and blood pressure at three pre-specified time points (at referral to PICTS, at PICTS arrival at the referring hospital, and at PICU admission), and changes in SI between the time points, were evaluated. Death within the first 48 hours of ICU admission (early death) was the primary outcome variable. RESULTS: Over the seven-year period, 572 children with sepsis were referred to the PICTS. Thirty-nine children died prior to transport to a PICU, while 474 were transported alive. Adjusting for age, time-points and time duration in a multi-level regression analysis, SI was significantly higher in those who died early. There was a significant improvement in SI with the transport team in survivors but not in non-survivors. However, the predictive value of a change in SI for mortality was no better than either a change in heart rate or blood pressure. CONCLUSIONS: The absolute or change in SI does not predict early death any more than heart rate and systolic blood pressure individually in children with sepsis

Skyrmion fluctuations at a first-order phase transition boundary

Magnetic skyrmions are topologically protected spin textures with promising prospects for applications in data storage. They can form a lattice state due to competing magnetic interactions and are commonly found in a small region of the temperature - magnetic field phase diagram. Recent work has demonstrated that these magnetic quasi-particles fluctuate at the μeV energy scale. Here, we use a coherent x-ray correlation method at an x-ray free-electron laser to investigate these fluctuations in a magnetic phase coexistence region near a first-order transition boundary where fluctuations are not expected to play a major role. Surprisingly, we find that the relaxation of the intermediate scattering function at this transition differs significantly compared to that deep in the skyrmion lattice phase. The observation of a compressed exponential behavior suggests solid-like dynamics, often associated with jamming. We assign this behavior to disorder and the phase coexistence observed in a narrow field-window near the transition, which can cause fluctuations that lead to glassy behavior