Habitat use and response to wetland management practices of non-breeding dabbling ducks in western Tennessee

Western Tennessee is an important area for non-breeding waterfowl in the Mississippi Flyway, including over 40% of the Mississippi Flyway population of American black ducks (Anas rubripes, hereafter black ducks), a species in decline. Information is lacking on waterfowl community ecology in the region, and managers must identify key habitats and consider functional use and potential predictors of resource use by non-breeding communities. Impacts of wetland management practices, such as moist-soil disking and subsequent planting of desirable grasses (i.e., Japanese millet [Echinochloa frumentacea], hereafter millet), must also be tested relative to impacts on waterfowl use and habitat quality. During winters 2011–2013 (November–February), I estimated food densities, diurnal habitat use, activities, and potential predictors of use of dabbling ducks (Anatini) at the Duck River Unit of Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge and Cross Creeks National Wildlife Refuge in western Tennessee, and I interpreted patterns relative to black ducks observed in concurrent studies (Chapter II). I also estimated autumn vegetation response, dabbling duck use and activities, and food densities in moist-soil wetland plots disked and planted with millet (Chapter III). Dabbling ducks primarily used moist-soil areas, and foraging was the dominant activity. Mudflats and scrub-shrub areas were also used as foraging areas. Habitat use was positively correlated with increasing emergent cover and energetic carrying capacity and was negatively correlated with increasing water depth. Black ducks occurred with other Anatini species in each habitat type, especially in moist-soil and scrub-shrub areas. Food densities were initially greatest in moist-soil areas, but foods declined rapidly. Vegetation was taller and percent cover of desirable species greater in un-manipulated than disked wetland plots, but duck use and food densities did not differ between treatments. Foraging was more frequently observed in disked than un-manipulated plots. Disking and millet planting did not improve wetland use by black ducks. My results suggest that managers should provide a complex of natural wetland types to accommodate non-breeding dabbling duck communities in western Tennessee. Disking and millet planting should not be used to improve moist-soil wetlands for black ducks, and other wetland manipulation techniques should be investigated

Examining the Influence of Internalizing and Externalizing Maladjustment on Holland-based Vocational Interest Score Differentiation and Profile Elevation Among African American Mothers Receiving Welfare

According to John L. Holland's (1985, 1997) theory of vocational interest types and work environments, counselors can learn whether a client is experiencing psychological maladjustment by attending to secondary constructs in vocational interest assessment. More specifically, Holland posited that low differentiation (i.e., degree of interest scale score variation) and low profile elevation (i.e., total number of endorsed items, or like responses, across all interest scales combined) are indicative of psychological maladjustment that warrants more intensive treatment or assessment. Counselors, too, are known to infer psychological maladjustment from low interest score differentiation and profile elevation (Gottfredson & Jones, 1993). However, findings are equivocal. Consequently, these interest assessment constructs are without a validated interpretation with respect to psychological maladjustment. This lack of an empirically substantiated interpretation for differentiation and profile elevation is potentially a product of methodological flaws or gaps in research that the current study aimed to address. The purpose of the current study was to examine the influence of the two primary disorder dimensions of psychological maladjustment (i.e., internalizing, externalizing) on vocational interest score differentiation and profile elevation among African American mothers receiving welfare. Towards this end, a quantitative, ex post facto research design was employed to analyze archival data on the vocational evaluation (VE) results of adult welfare recipients in North Carolina. More specifically, the sample consisted of African American mothers receiving welfare who were referred to the Navigate Counseling Clinic between 2012 and 2017. This population was targeted, in large part, because these mothers have been without the benefit of research that examines their vocational complexities through the prism of a career theory. Furthermore, psychological maladjustment is identified as being among the more prevalent barriers to employment that African American mothers receiving welfare experience (Danziger et al., 2000). Thus, findings from the current study served to enhance the interpretability of Holland's theoretical constructs, but also served to improve counseling-based services for a client group in need of proper career and mental health assistance. In this study, six research questions were developed for examining main and interaction effects of internalizing and externalizing maladjustment on interest score differentiation and profile elevation among the sample (N = 122). Research questions were addressed with a series of 2 X 2 analyses of variance (ANOVA) in which internalizing maladjustment and externalizing maladjustment were the independent grouping variables. These variables each had two levels for indicating the presence or absence of a probable disorder within the corresponding maladjustment dimension as measured by the Global Appraisal of Individual Needs- Short Screener (GAIN-SS; Dennis, Feeney, & Titus, 2013). In contrast, the continuous dependent variables were vocational interest score differentiation and profile elevation as measured using the O*NET Computerized Interest Profiler (CIP; Rounds et al., 1999). Consistent with standards in social science research, statistical significance was established with an alpha level of .05 (Heppner et al., 2008), and assumptions of the 2 X 2 ANOVA were tested. Results from addressing research questions indicated a statistically significant finding in a post hoc analysis wherein internalizing maladjustment had a direct main effect on vocational interest score differentiation. Exclusively non-significant findings were observed for the remaining research questions. In addition to addressing research questions, the study included an examination of O*NET CIP scale scores and primary RIASEC types. Furthermore, psychometric properties were investigated among the sample. All results from this study are discussed, including limitations, implications, and recommendations for future research

Among-site variability in the stochastic dynamics of East African coral reefs

Coral reefs are dynamic systems whose composition is highly influenced by unpredictable biotic and abiotic factors. Understanding the spatial scale at which long-term predictions of reef composition can be made will be crucial for guiding conservation efforts. Using a 22-year time series of benthic composition data from 20 reefs on the Kenyan and Tanzanian coast, we studied the long-term behaviour of Bayesian vector autoregressive state-space models for reef dynamics, incorporating among-site variability. We estimate that if there were no among-site variability, the total long-term variability would be approximately one third of its current value. Thus among-site variability contributes more to long-term variability in reef composition than does temporal variability. Individual sites are more predictable than previously thought, and predictions based on current snapshots are informative about long-term properties. Our approach allowed us to identify a subset of possible climate refugia sites with high conservation value, where the long-term probability of coral cover <= 0.1 was very low. Analytical results show that this probability is most strongly influenced by among-site variability and by interactions among benthic components within sites. These findings suggest that conservation initiatives might be successful at the site scale as well as the regional scale.Comment: 97 pages, 49 figure

LED Lighting: Carbon Footprint Reduction and Energy Cost Savings at Prince George's County Parks and Recreational Facilities

Final project for ENSP400: Capstone Environmental Science and Policy (Fall 2021). University of Maryland, College Park.Through their work with the National Center for Smart Growth at the University of Maryland (UMD), the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) commissioned this report from the university’s Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS). PALS works with local jurisdictions throughout Maryland to identify projects and problems that can be taught through university courses where students focus on developing innovative, research-based solutions. The Prince George's Division of Maintenance and Development partnered with Environmental Science and Policy capstone students at the University of Maryland College Park to examine the cost and energy savings when LED lighting, and other energy-saving devices, are used at park system facilities. The facilities analysis allowed Prince George’s County Department of Parks and Recreation to uphold the values of a healthy lifestyle while still providing enriching leisure services.Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation (PGDPR

Total, regional and unilateral body composition of professional English first-class cricket fast bowlers

There have been few reports of advanced body composition profiles of elite fast bowlers in the sport of cricket. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to determine total, regional and unilateral body composition characteristics of elite English first-class cricket fast bowlers in comparison with matched controls, using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Twelve male fast bowlers and 12 age-matched, non-athletic controls received one total-body DXA scan. Anthropometric data were obtained as well as left and right regional (arms, legs and trunk) fat mass, lean mass and bone mineral content. Fast bowlers were significantly taller and heavier than controls (P<0.05). Relative to body mass, fast bowlers possessed greater lean mass in the trunk (80.9±3.7 vs. 76.7±5.9%; P=0.047) and bone mineral content in the trunk (2.9±0.3 vs. 2.6±0.3%; P=0.049) and legs (5.4±0.5 vs. 4.6±0.6%; P=0.003). In the arm region, fast bowlers demonstrated significantly greater unilateral differences in bone mineral content (10.6±6.6 vs. 4.5±3.9%; P=0.012). This study provides specific body composition values for elite-level fast bowlers and highlights the potential for muscle and bone imbalances that may be useful for conditioning professionals. Our findings also suggest beneficial adaptations in body composition and bone mass in fast bowlers compared with their non-athletic counterparts

Disrupting education using smart mobile pedagogies

© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019. As mobile technologies become more multifaceted and ubiquitous in society, educational researchers are investigating the use of these technologies in education. A growing body of evidence shows that traditional pedagogies still dominate the educational field and are misaligned with the diverse learning opportunities offered by the use of mobile technologies. There is an imperative to question those traditional notions of education, including how, where and when teaching and learning are enacted, and to explore the possible mediating roles of new mobile technologies. New smart pedagogies, which embrace the affordances offered by mobile technologies, have the potential to disrupt notions of schooling. In this chapter, we examine the nature of smart pedagogies and their intersection with mobile pedagogies. We unpack notions of innovation and disruption. We then discuss smart mobile learning activities for school students identified from a Systematic Literature Review, together with the pedagogical principles underpinning them. We argue to encourage smart pedagogies, teacher educators should support teachers to implement ‘feasible disruptions’. Consequently, implications for teacher education are explored

Empirical Models of Transitions between Coral Reef States: Effects of Region, Protection, and Environmental Change

There has been substantial recent change in coral reef communities. To date, most analyses have focussed on static patterns or changes in single variables such as coral cover. However, little is known about how community-level changes occur at large spatial scales. Here, we develop Markov models of annual changes in coral and macroalgal cover in the Caribbean and Great Barrier Reef (GBR) regions

Indigenous Knowledge and Long-term Ecological Change: Detection, Interpretation, and Responses to Changing Ecological Conditions in Pacific Island Communities

When local resource users detect, understand, and respond to environmental change they can more effectively manage environmental resources. This article assesses these abilities among artisanal fishers in Roviana Lagoon, Solomon Islands. In a comparison of two villages, it documents local resource users’ abilities to monitor long-term ecological change occurring to seagrass meadows near their communities, their understandings of the drivers of change, and their conceptualizations of seagrass ecology. Local observations of ecological change are compared with historical aerial photography and IKONOS satellite images that show 56 years of actual changes in seagrass meadows from 1947 to 2003. Results suggest that villagers detect long-term changes in the spatial cover of rapidly expanding seagrass meadows. However, for seagrass meadows that showed no long-term expansion or contraction in spatial cover over one-third of respondents incorrectly assumed changes had occurred. Examples from a community-based management initiative designed around indigenous ecological knowledge and customary sea tenure governance show how local observations of ecological change shape marine resource use and practices which, in turn, can increase the management adaptability of indigenous or hybrid governance systems

The small pelagic fishery of the Pemba Channel, Tanzania: what we know and what we need to know for management under climate change

Small pelagic fish, including anchovies, sardines and sardinellas, mackerels, capelin, hilsa, sprats and herrings, are distributed widely, from the tropics to the far north Atlantic Ocean and to the southern oceans off Chile and South Africa. They are most abundant in the highly productive major eastern boundary upwelling systems and are characterised by significant natural variations in biomass. Overall, small pelagic fisheries represent about one third of global fish landings although a large proportion of the catch is processed into animal feeds. Nonetheless, in some developing countries in addition to their economic value, small pelagic fisheries also make an important contribution to human diets and the food security of many low-income households. Such is the case for many communities in the Zanzibar Archipelago and on mainland Tanzania in the Western Indian Ocean. Of great concern in this region, as elsewhere, is the potential impact of climate change on marine and coastal ecosystems in general, and on small pelagic fisheries in particular. This paper describes data and information available on Tanzania's small pelagic fisheries, including catch and effort, management protocols and socio-economic significance

Dimensionality analysis of forearm muscle activation for myoelectric control in transradial amputees.

Establishing a natural communication interface between the user and the terminal device is one of the central challenges of hand neuroprosthetics research. Surface electromyography (EMG) is the most common source of neural signals for interpreting a user's intent in these interfaces. However, how the capacity of EMG generation is affected by various clinical parameters remains largely unknown. In this study, we examined the EMG activity of forearm muscles recorded from 11 transradially amputated subjects who performed a wide range of movements. EMG recordings from 40 able-bodied subjects were also analyzed to provide comparative benchmarks. By using non-negative matrix factorization, we extracted the synergistic EMG patterns for each subject to estimate the dimensionality of muscle control, under the framework of motor synergies. We found that amputees exhibited less than four synergies (with substantial variability related to the length of remaining limb and age), whereas able-bodied subjects commonly demonstrate five or more synergies. The results of this study provide novel insight into the muscle synergy framework and the design of natural myoelectric control interfaces