Quantifying the abundance of four large epiphytic fern species in remnant complex notophyll vine forest on the Atherton Tableland, north Queensland, Australia

Epiphytes are generally considered rare in complex forests on the western edge of the Atherton Tablelands, north Queensland. This assertion is based on comparisons with wetter forests in the Wet Tropics bioregion, but is of limited use in restoration projects where targets need to be quantified. We quantified ‘rarity’ for a subset of the epiphyte community in one of the largest remaining patches of Type 5b rainforest at Wongabel State Forest(17°18' S, 145°28' E). The bundance of large individuals of the epiphytic fern species Asplenium australasicum, Drynaria rigidula, Platycerium bifurcatum, and Platycerium superbum were recorded from 100 identified midstorey or canopy trees. Epiphytes were less rare than the canopy trees sampled, averaging 1.7 individuals per tree. A clumped distribution was suggested with large epiphytes only occurring on 57 of the 100 trees. As tree size increased so did the number of individuals and species of large epiphytes recorded; only trees taller than 20 m yielded more than one epiphyte. Trees from the Meliaceae and Rutaceae hosted the most epiphytes, but host tree specificity patterns were not conclusive. Techniques for including epiphytes in restoration planning and projects are considered, and a quantified restoration target for epiphyte communities in Type 5b plantings is outlined

Understanding How Vulnerable Populations Use Common Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) to Access Health Care Information

The goal of this study is to investigate patterns of internet access via computers and cellular telephones among the population being served by the Drexel University Eleventh (11th) Street Health Center (Here after, the Center) and to determine which Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) will be most appropriate for delivering health care information to this population. This two-part study examines 2 concepts: 1). Which ICTs do patients at the11th Street center use to connect to the internet; 2) How these patients use the internet through the identified ICTs. Results of the project will be used to improve the ways the Center communicates with its patients by developing new approaches for using ICTs that better reflect the existing patterns of use in the population. The study will also provide researchers with a better understanding of the barriers and facilitators to internet access in this vulnerable population

Changepoint Analysis of HIV Marker Responses

We will propose a random changepoint model for the analysis of longitudinal CD4 and CD8 T-cell counts, as well as viral RNA loads, for HIV infected subjects following highly active antiretroviral treatment. The data was taken from two studies, one of the Aids Clinical Group Trial 398 and one performed by the Terry Beirn Community Programs for Clinical Research on AIDS. Models were created with the changepoint following both exponential and truncated normal distributions. The estimation of the changepoints was performed in a Bayesian analysis, with implementation in the WinBUGS software using Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods. For model selection, we used the deviance information criterion (DIC), a two term measure of model adequacy and complexity. DIC indicates that the data support a random changepoint model with the changepoint following an exponential distribution. Visual analyses of the posterior densities of the parameters also support these conclusions

Creating a sense of place or simply a good parking space?:evolution of the historic town squares of Mississippi

Mississippi has a surprising amount and variety of town squares. The square provides a central, pedestrian civic space in the towns in which they are located. The purpose of this thesis is to explore the evolution of town squares in Mississippi. The method employed was historical research of primary sources that included historic photographs and Sanborn Fire Insurance maps. The photographs were examined using the The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties investigating such elements as vegetation, site furnishings, and circulation patterns. Canton, Holly Springs, and Lexington were chosen to be studied in more detail to give a clearer picture of how squares have changed over time. It was determined that there are approximately 69 towns with squares in Mississippi. The most numerous types of squares used are Shelbyville squares. The vitality of the square varies greatly from town to town

Timing Of Residential Electric Loads To Reduce Air Emissions From Power Generation

Over the course of a day, power utilities must respond to changing demand by dispatching or shedding output from different generators. Each generator is associated with a unique profile of air emissions, based on the type of fuel consumed, installed pollution controls, and the generator\u27s efficiency. The aim of this study is to determine whether shifting electric demand to times when cleaner generation sources are available would result in overall emissions reduction. Dynamic wholesale pricing in the electric power market, specifically the Locational Marginal Price (LMP), provides a means to estimate the marginal generator fuel type. This knowledge was used to roughly estimate hourly local emission rates. Based on these estimated historical emission rates of five different pollutants, best and worst case timing schedules were determined for five household appliances and for the charging of electric vehicle batteries. On average for the five pollutants, an estimated 70% emissions reduction from the worst to best case was achieved by shifting the run times of appliances. By selectively timing electric vehicle battery charging, the average emissions reduction from worst to best case varied from 10-20%, depending on type of charging available. A smartphone app called HERO, or Home Emissions Read-Out, has been created to provide consumers with real-time emissions information at their fingertips. HERO serves to educate people and lets them take on a sense of personal responsibility for the emissions that result from their energy use

Disciplinary Referrals in Response to School-Wide Positive Behavior Plan in a Rural Middle School Setting.

Students who exhibit disruptive and inappropriate behaviors are a challenge for schools, as teachers and administrators are most often held responsible for managing these behaviors. This study was designed to evaluate School-Wide Positive Behavior Supports (SWPBS) when used in a rural middle school setting. Research indicates that using SWPBS in an individual school over a period of time can decrease the amount of disruptive behaviors in the school while also increasing attendance and academic scores. However, little longitudinal research exists concerning the use of SWPBS within middle school settings across a system. Through the use of quantitative methods, this study included examining overall effect on office disciplinary referrals (ODRs), suspensions, and expulsions under the 3 categories of schools as well as faculty and student perceptions (current year only) of SWPBS. While there was no significant difference found among ODRs, expulsions, or suspensions among the 3 school categories through ANOVA analysis, the study did highlight the need for further evaluation of how schools implement SWPBS. A one-way, chi-square analysis of faculty perceptions did not show a significance among the three school categories, while student perceptions did show significance and a follow-up pairwise comparison was conducted. The student survey analysis suggests that students in either a school with the SWPBS plan or without a plan are 3 times more likely to have a negative attitude toward the behavioral school policies than schools with a partial SWPBS plan. The analysis on perceptions indicates the need for further faculty and student questioning in future research. The primary significance of this study is that it addresses the use of SWPBS in various middle school settings and in various stages of use (full plan, partial plan, or no plan). This study also evaluates data from two years before the SWPBS implementation as opposed to just one year. The study highlights issues related to middle school students and how school systems might better serve those students

Computational Evaluation of the Oxidative Cleavage of Triazine Derivatives for Electrosynthesis

Computational chemistry was used to study the N–C bond dissociation Gibbs free energies (298 K, acetonitrile) for a test set of 54 triazine derivatives, comprising combinations of 6 triazinyl radicals with 9 different alkyl leaving groups. Results were obtained for homolytic cleavage of the neutral compound, and two possible mesolytic cleavage pathways for the oxidized form were found (cleavage to a triazinyl radical and a carbocation or cleavage to a triazinyl cation and a carbon-centered radical). Oxidation potentials of the adducts and triazine radicals were also assessed. The aim of the study was to assess triazines as an alternative to alkoxyamines as electrochemical sources of carbon-centered radicals or cations. Oxidation potentials of the triazine adducts (−0.1 to +0.2 V vs Fc/Fc+) are lower than those for corresponding alkoxyamines (0.7–1.2 V), making these compounds more functional group tolerant in electrosynthesis. In contrast to alkoxyamines, upon oxidation, they generally cleave to a carbon-centered radical rather than a carbocation and do so exergonically or at relatively low energies. Important exceptions are electron donating leaving groups for which mesolytic cleavage to a carbocation is preferred, though only in select cases is oxidative cleavage thermodynamically favored. The computational studies outlined herein support the possibility that an adduct based on the triazinyl radical is superior to an alkoxyamine for the electrochemical activation of carbon-centered radicals.M.L.C. gratefully acknowledges a Georgina Sweet ARC Laureate Fellowship (FL170100041) and generous allocations of supercomputing time on the National Facility of the Australian National Computational Infrastructure