The Cape San Blas Ecological Study

Eglin AFB on Cape San Blas consists of approximately 250 acres located about 180 miles east of the main Eglin reservation. This area lies on the S1. Joseph peninsula, part of a dynamic barrier island chain that extends across the northern Gulf of Mexico. Due to the natural forces that formed Cape San Blas and those that maintain this area, St. Joseph Peninsula has experienced severe land form change over time (see GIS land form change maps). These changes allow for fluctuations in habitat types along Cape San Blas (see GIS land cover change maps)that influence the floral and faunal species using this area. The dynamic environment along Cape San Blasincludes flatwoods, interdunal swale, rosemary scrub, and beachfront. These habitats support a wide array of species, including several threatened and endangered species such as the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), PipingPlover (Charadnus melodus), Least Tern (Sterna antillarum), and Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). Proper management of these species and their habitats require knowledge of their abundance and distribution, and the effects disturbances have on their survival. In addition to threatened and endangered flora and fauna, Cape San Blas also supports tourists and recreationists. Although Gulf County is sparsely populated, with approximately 13,000 inhabitants throughout 578 square miles, summer tourism and heavy recreational use of beaches for fishing, crabbing, and shelling place continued and increasing pressure on the natural resources of these areas (Rupert 1991). Gulf County is also one of the few remaining counties in Florida that permits vehicular traffic on its beaches, including Cape San Blas. In addition to recreational use of these habitats;EAFB also uses the area for military missions. Air Force property on Cape San Blas is primarily used for radar tracking of flying missions over the Gulf of Mexico, although in recent years it has been used for missile launchings and other various military activities. To allow continued military and public use of Air Force property while also protecting the unique flora and fauna of the area,EAFB proposed a characterization of the resources found along Cape San Blas. A complete inventory of the physical features of the area included investigating topography, soil chemistry, hydrology, archeology, and the dynamics of land mass and land cover change over time. Various thematic layers within a geographic information system (GIS) were used to spatially portray georeferenced data. Large scale changes over time were assessed using stereo aerial photography. Vegetation transects, soil samples, elevation transects, an archeological survey, freshwater wells, and a tidal monitor were used to investigate the remaining features. (247 page document

Genomic islands of divergence in the Yellow Tang and the Brushtail Tang Surgeonfishes.

The current ease of obtaining thousands of molecular markers challenges the notion that full phylogenetic concordance, as proposed by phylogenetic species concepts, is a requirement for defining species delimitations. Indeed, the presence of genomic islands of divergence, which may be the cause, or in some cases the consequence, of speciation, precludes concordance. Here, we explore this issue using thousands of RAD markers on two sister species of surgeonfishes (Teleostei: Acanthuridae), Zebrasoma flavescens and Z. scopas, and several populations within each species. Species are readily distinguished based on their colors (solid yellow and solid brown, respectively), yet populations and species are neither distinguishable using mitochondrial markers (cytochrome c oxidase 1), nor using 5193 SNPs (pairwise Φst = 0.034). In contrast, when using outlier loci, some of them presumably under selection, species delimitations, and strong population structure follow recognized taxonomic positions (pairwise Φst = 0.326). Species and population delimitation differences based on neutral and selected markers are likely due to local adaptation, thus being consistent with the idea that these genomic islands of divergence arose as a consequence of isolation. These findings, which are not unique, raise the question of a potentially important pathway of divergence based on local adaptation that is only evident when looking at thousands of loci

Transient x-ray diffraction used to diagnose shock compressed Si crystals on the Nova laser

Transient x-ray diffraction is used to record time-resolved information about the shock compression of materials. This technique has been applied on Nova shock experiments driven using a hohlraum x-ray drive. Data were recorded from the shock release at the free surface of a Si crystal, as well as from Si at an embedded ablator/Si interface. Modeling has been done to simulate the diffraction data incorporating the strained crystal rocking curves and Bragg diffraction efficiencies. Examples of the data and post-processed simulations are presented

Part-time learners in open and distance learning: revisiting the critical importance of choice, flexibility and employability

In this article, we argue that, if open learning seeks to (re)assert a social justice mission, issues of openness and flexibility are more critical than ever. Drawing on qualitative data from a National Union of Students Wales/Open University study, which explored, in the voices of Welsh students, the identity, motivation and barriers faced by part-time distance learners, three key findings emerged. First, the chimaera of ‘choice’ – for part-time distance learners whose personal circumstances prevent any other mode of study; second, the vacuity of policy assertions around ‘flexibility’ in HE – what personalised learning means for part-time distance learners should be contested and re-examined; third, the mantra of ‘employability’ – for part-time distance learners, employability is a conundrum which needs to be understood in a far more inclusively nuanced way. We conclude that the voices of part-time distance learners need to be heard by policy makers and should inform open universities’ continuing efforts to enable vulnerable and marginalised learners to access HE

Smoking Enhances Risk for New External Genital Warts in Men

Repeat episodes of HPV-related external genital warts reflect recurring or new infections. No study before has been sufficiently powered to delineate how tobacco use, prior history of EGWs and HIV infection affect the risk for new EGWs. Behavioral, laboratory and examination data for 2,835 Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study participants examined at 21,519 semi-annual visits were evaluated. Fourteen percent (391/2835) of men reported or were diagnosed with EGWs at 3% (675/21,519) of study visits. Multivariate analyses showed smoking, prior episodes of EGWs, HIV infection and CD4+ T-lymphocyte count among the infected, each differentially influenced the risk for new EGWs

Anticancer Activity of Ag(I) N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes Derived from 4,5-Dichloro-1H-Imidazole

A class of Ag(I) N-heterocyclic carbene silver complexes, 1–3, derived from 4,5-dichloro-1H-imidazole has been evaluated for their anticancer activity against the human cancer cell lines OVCAR-3 (ovarian), MB157 (breast), and Hela (cervical). Silver complexes 1–3 are active against the ovarian and breast cancer cell lines. A preliminary in vivo study shows 1 to be active against ovarian cancer in mice. The results obtained in these studies warrant further investigation of these compounds in vivo

Expanding the reflexive space: resilient young adults, institutional cultures, and cognitive schemas

For many U.S. young adults, being resilient to stressful events hinges on making meaning of such events and thereby minimizing their negative emotional impact. Yet why are some better able to do this than others? In this study, which uses an innovative outlier sampling strategy and linked survey and interview data, we argue that one important factor is connection to institutional cultures associated with higher education, religion/spirituality, and the military. Such cultures provide material for the development of cognitive schemas that can be adopted and applied to their stressful experiences, which include narratives of social progress, divine providence, and self‐discipline. Using a metaphor adapted from the pragmatist philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce, we argue the resulting schemas have the effect of “expanding the space” of reflexive thought, providing new cognitive material for interpreting stress and supporting resilience. Finally, we argue this framing improves in several ways on the concept of meaning making often used in stress process research.Accepted manuscrip