Estuarine Aquarium Keeping for Beginners

This information was created as an introduction to estuarine, or brackish water, aquarium keeping for the beginner using simple aquarium gear. Estuarine aquarium set-up and maintenance is easy as long as you have access to brackish water and you have time to devote to the tanks. The following information has been obtained from practical experience gained while maintaining estuarine aquariums using basic systems. You can add more sophisticated aquarium gear and keep animals that require more precise water quality, food and care as your wet thumb improves from experience and through information obtained from other sources

K-12 Environmental Education Needs Assessment for the Hampton Roads, Virginia Region

The Chesapeake Bay Research Reserve in Virginia (CBNERRVA or Reserve) is one of 28 protected areas that make up National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA)National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS). At the state level, CBNERRVA is administered by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), College of William and Mary. The Reserve was established for long-term research, education and stewardship in support of informed management of our Nation’s estuaries and coastal habitats.The Reserve’s Education and Outreach Program strives to increase awareness, understanding, appreciation and wise-use of coastal resources through formal Kindergarten through twelfth grade (K-12) education programs, teacher training, participation in college intern programs and implementation of family/community oriented programs. In 2011, as part of a coordinated national reserve-wide effort to evaluate program effectiveness and identify gaps and needs in coastal education, CBNERRVA conducted a K-12 Environmental Education Needs Assessment for the Hampton Roads, Virginia region. A complimentary K-12 Environmental Education Market Analysis was also conducted at the same time

OneFund: The Illusion of One Disaster

Every day in this country, hundreds of people are victims of violence, and many are seriously injured or killed. Disaster funds are often created to compensate victims or their families for the injuries, property destruction, and/or death caused by traumatic incidents—not only after natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, but also after some horrific, well publicized acts of violence perpetrated by people, such as the Boston Marathon bombing. Unfortunately, for most people injured or killed outside of such well known, specific circumstances, there is no easy or well funded avenue for compensation. There exist, then, two classes of victims, based upon the way they were injured or killed: in notorious events or lesser known incidents. This paper examines the creation of the OneFund after the Boston Marathon bombing as an example of how disaster funds work and offers alternatives that may serve all victims in an equitable manner

Utility of the SenseWear Pro 3 armband monitor and the Weight Management System for evaluating energy balance in adults

The progression of the obesity epidemic stems directly from the inability of individuals to achieve a balance between energy expenditure (EE) and energy intake (EI). To enhance research on obesity prevention it is important to develop and validate instruments that can facilitate monitoring of energy balance (EB) under free-living conditions. The SenseWear Pro 3 armband (SWA) monitor and associated weight management system (WMS) offer promise as a non-invasive method suitable for energy balance research. The primary purpose of the study was to evaluate the utility of the SWA and WMS to assess EB during a week of free-living activity. A total of 68 healthy adult participants (31 male and 37 female) wore the SWA monitor for a week while recording a detailed 7-day dietary food record. Estimates of EE were obtained directly from the SWA software. Estimates of EI were obtained by entering the dietary food records into both the Nutritionist Pro and the SenseWear WMS dietary assessment systems. The estimated EB (EI-EE) was compared with the observed EB (obtained from fasted weight measures taken at the beginning and ending of the study). Differences in EB values (observed - estimated) were statistically tested using standard t-tests. A secondary purpose was to compare the assessed EI between Nutritionist Pro and SenseWear WMS. A mixed model analyses of variance was used to evaluate the difference between EI values as well as macronutrient intakes of carbohydrate, fat, and protein. Results indicated that participants lost weight during the week long protocol (mean weight loss = -0.5 y 1.6 lbs) without an apparent intention to lose weight. Similarly, estimated EB was significantly different than zero, indicating a negative EB (weight loss). Difference in weight difference (observed - estimated) was positive (difference = 0.9 lbs y 2.0), indicating a significant overestimation of weight loss (p \u3c 0.001). Supplemental analyses indicated that individuals completing more detailed dietary records had a significantly higher weight loss than those providing less detailed records. More interestingly, individuals providing high quality dietary records had a small (non-significant) average EB difference (difference = -0.03 y 1.4 lbs, p = 0.09) while individuals providing poor quality records had large EB differences (difference = 2.0 y 1.0 lbs, p \u3c 0.001). Collectively, this suggested that the estimates of EB from the WMS are accurate when participants provided detailed dietary records. Correlations between nutrient intake (EI, protein, carbohydrate, and fat) assessments (SenseWear WMS vs. Nutritionist Pro) were high for all comparisons (range: r = 0.93 to 0.99). The estimates of EI from the two dietary assessment systems were not significantly different (p = 0.07) and the gender by method interaction was also not significant (p = 0.32). Similar results were noted for macronutrient comparisons; however, a significant gender by method interaction was evident for protein (p = 0.048). In conclusion, the SWA monitor with its integrated WMS demonstrated promising attributes for assessing EB in free-living individuals. Key Words: activity monitors, energy balance assessment, dietary assessment syste

Detroit Crime Trends: Examining Large Business Labor Practices

This study examines the relationship between the changes in large company employment of the top twenty-five large businesses in Detroit and the crime rate from 2012 to 2014. Previous research has asserted that a significant correlation exists between unemployment and crime but does not investigate the effects of large company employment in a city in relation to crime. This study seeks to fill this gap and address the relationship between changes in large company employment, relative to conditions of social disorganization, and changes in the crime rate. It builds upon Blau and Blau’s (1982) work on the structural contributors to social disorganization, namely unemployment. Unlike previous studies examined, this study will use Social Disorganization Theory to provide a theoretical framework and will concentrate solely on Detroit. This secondary data is analyzed using logistic regression, which raises unexpected methodological questions

York River Water Quality Curriculum: Using Real Water Quality Data to Investigate Water Quality Cycles and Answer Applied Marine Science Questions

Considering that Virginia has approximately 50,000 miles of rivers and streams, 2,500 square miles of estuarine water and 100 lakes greater than 100 acres, water quality monitoring with your students is a great hands-on activity that gets students thinking about the properties and processes occurring in classroom aquaria, lake, stream, river, estuarine and marine environments. It can be difficult to elucidate water quality patterns or trends with student generated data due to the low number of samples taken, the possibility of inaccurate results due to user error or expired test kit reagents as well as the innate lack of accuracy and precision associated with low-cost water quality test kits. These activities were designed to enable teachers to expand upon their water quality and Chesapeake Bay curricula and incorporate real-world data collected in the Chesapeake Bay to address biology, earth science, computer mathematics, chemistry, and probability and statistics Standards of Learning for the Commonwealth of Virginia (specific SOL’s are listed at the end of the Teachers Pages). The activities investigate applied marine science issues that deal with various living resources using water quality data gathered by the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Virginia (CBNERRVA) research and monitoring staff

Information is Power : The Pace University Library

At some point in your time at Pace you may be asked to complete a research paper, a debate, a speech, or a group project which will require you to do research. The mission of the Pace University Library is to provide you with the ability to find, access, and evaluate the information resources you\u27ll need, whether those items are books, articles, websites, statistics, or some other form of information. Our goal is not only to help you complete your course assignments, but to help you develop information-seeking skills which you will be able to use after you graduate from Pace. The skills you develop in the library may help you select a graduate school, a health plan at your new job, or a candidate in an upcoming election. Whether you are seeking information for personal reasons or for a class assignment, you will need to know what resources are available to assist you in locating information, how to access or obtain a piece of information once you know it exists, and how to evaluate whether the information you have located is valuable to you

Analysis of Political Language Manipulation: Changing Public Perceptions of the Poor through the War on Poverty and Popular Literary Fiction

I propose to explore the rhetoric and language surrounding poor people of color both through common culture in literature and political speeches and documents of contemporary politicians between the years 1965 and 1992. I am particularly interested in the evolution of the Johnson administration’s War on Poverty between the 1970s and 1990s. Additionally, the Reagan administration’s tear down of the welfare system in the 1980s is another area of interest. I will specifically be examining how images of the poor have been manipulated in order to preserve the power of the elite and how portrayals of poverty shift in the given timeframe. I will be focusing on the portrayals of poor women of color. Then, through analysis of political speeches and media articles surrounding the Moynihan Report of 1965, and the elections of 1980 and 1992, I will evaluate the methods used by those in power to condemn the poor. Finally, I will discuss how literature both furthers and pushes against the changing perceptions and policies regarding poor people of color. This research will add to the knowledge of the ways governments utilize the power of language to maintain power and achieve social control and help locate the role of popular literary fiction in broader cultural debates

The Effects of the Get Off Your Rocker Exercise Class on Balance

The purpose of this study was to determine if the six-week Get Off Your Rocker balance exercise class, promoted by HealthSouth®, had a significant effect on balance in the geriatric population. If proven to be effective, this class could be an additional tool for physical therapists to utilize to aid in improving a patient\u27s balance. A total of 22 subjects volunteered to participate in this study. They were randomly divided into two groups: a control group (n=1 0, 8 females and 2 males) and an exercise group (n=12, 8 females and 4 males). All subjects were high functioning and were found to be at a low risk for falls as determined by the Berg Balance Measure. The age of subjects ranged from 60-87, with a mean age of 74.77. The study included an initial and final evaluation using the Berg Balance Measure, Timed Up and Go Test (TU&GT), the Functional Reach Test, and ankle range of motion measurements. Following the initial assessment, the control group was instructed to continue their normal daily activities during the following six-week period. The exercise group participated in the balance exercise class three times per week for six weeks. The exercises they performed included single leg stance activities, Swiss Ball exercises, tandem walking, and activities that challenged the base of support. Following the six-week period, the Berg Balance Measure, TU&GT, Functional Reach, and ankle range of motion results were again obtained. An Analysis of Covariance was used to compare the control group to the exercise group using scores from the Berg Balance Measure, TU&GT, Functional Reach, and ankle range of motion measurements. An alpha level of p=O.OS was used to determine significance. Following six weeks of exercising, there was a significant difference between the control group and the exercise group on two tests [F (1,19) = 6.092, p=0.023 for the Berg; F (1,19) = 4.997, p=0.038 for the Functional Reach], with the exercise group demonstrating an increase in scores. There was no significant difference found between the groups for the TU&GT [F (1,19) = 0.442, p=0.S14] or for ankle range of motion measurements [F (1,19) = 0.110, p=0.743 for ankle dorsiflexion with knee extension; F (1,19) = 0.491, p=0.492 for ankle dorsiflexion with knee flexion]. This six-week balance exercise class significantly improved scores on the Berg Balance Measure and the Functional Reach Test. The Get Off Your Rocker balance exercise class can be an effective tool for physical therapists to use for balance training and promoting wellness among the elderly