Coyote- A Wily, New Emblem for the Anthropocene? Why One of the Most Reviled Predators in North America Could Change Conservation Forever.

Human populations have grown dramatically in the last century. Animal species have responded in different ways, some adapting and exploiting human urban centers, like squirrels and raccoons. While other larger mammals, and predators specifically, are often extirpated. Since the 1970’s it is estimated the earth has lost 58% of wild vertebrate life, while humans and domesticates make up 96 % of biomass. In contrast, coyotes have thrived despite being targeted by federal wildlife agencies as a pest species, and this is why they are currently being studied by an array of scientists such as biologists, anthropologists, and ethologists. A growing body of research indicates that current lethal removal methods of predators, especially coyotes, is less effective than non-lethal interventions. This thesis will interpret several evolutionary, historic, and anthropogenic factors that have led to the current coyote situation and how future wildlife management might be improved for both people and wildlife

The microbial ecology and biogeochemistry of cyanobacteria in the arsenic-rich and inorganic carbon-limited geothermal waters of El Tatio Geyser Field, Chile

Geothermal settings are some of the best-known analogs for early earth environments and among the best places to investigate the impact of extreme conditions on microbial life. El Tatio Geyser Field (ETGF) is a geothermal setting located at 4,300m in the Atacama Desert region of Chile. Its high-elevation desert position leads to high UV-flux, rapid evaporation, and mineral precipitation. El Tatio geothermal waters also possess extremely limited concentrations of life-essential nutrients, such as dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC as CO2(aq) + HCO3-), contain among the highest naturally occurring concentrations of the toxic element arsenic (As as H3AsO30 + HXAsO43-X), and are buffered to circumneutral pH by arsenate (H2AsO4-/HAsO42-; pKa ~ 6.9 at 25°C). Cyanobacteria were found to be the most important primary producers supporting microbial communities in El Tatio geothermal waters. The objective of this dissertation work was to characterize the role of cyanobacteria in the ETGF microbial ecosystem, and determine the response of cyanobacteria to the high-As and low-DIC conditions present at ETGF. Field observations, geochemical analyses, and next-generation 16S rRNA gene sequencing approaches were used to determine the geochemical controls on cyanobacterial distribution, the phylogenetic diversity of El Tatio cyanobacteria, and the corresponding microbial community structure at sites with and without cyanobacteria. Four cultured cyanobacterial strains were isolated from ETGF mat material, and experiments were performed to assess the growth and carbon-uptake response of these strains to low DIC, AsIII, and AsV. AsIII and temperature negatively controlled the abundance and distribution of cyanobacteria in geothermal outflows throughout ETGF, whereas AsV positively influenced these factors. In the laboratory, AsIII inhibited the growth of cultured strains, while AsV stimulated growth. Closed-system experiments showed significantly increased carbon uptake and growth in the presence of AsV, due to the ability of arsenate to offset the rapid upward pH shift that often occurs in mats during photosynthesis, thereby maintaining DIC in the preferred forms for cyanobacterial uptake. These results showed that AsV plays a positive role in the ETGF microbial ecosystem by increasing the productivity of cyanobacterial mats under low DIC and arsenate-buffered conditions.Geological Science

The Reported Needs of a Teacher Mentoring Program

The following study was conducted in four public school districts in south Mississippi and involved a combination of 167 administrators, mentors, and novice teachers. The purpose of this study was to measure the reported needs of a teacher mentoring program as perceived by novice teachers, mentor teachers, and administrators. An additional purpose of the study was to examine administrators’ perceptions of how alternate route and traditional route teachers differ in their needs of a teacher mentoring program. Two multivariate of analysis (MANOVA) tests were conducted to measure the differences among novice teachers, mentors, and administrators in their perception of what should be included in a mentoring program and the ways in which alternate route and traditional route teachers differ in their needs of a teacher mentoring program. Both tests conducted produced statistically significant results. Statistical test revealed that mentors recognize novice teachers have a greater need for mentoring in the areas of classroom management, collaboration, technology, and school-wide procedures with (F(8,112) = 2.30, p = .025). Statistical test also revealed that administrators perceive alternate route teachers to have a greater need for mentoring in the areas of classroom management, collaboration, discipline, documentation, feedback, observation, technology, and school-wide procedures with (F(8,74) = 6.792, p As the need for teachers continues to increase and retention rates consistently decrease, the results of this study provide valuable information to colleges and universities as they continue to develop their programs for both alternate and traditional route teachers. These results can be used to increase student achievement through the establishment of teacher mentoring programs or the enhancement of previously established mentoring programs as superintendents, districts, administrators, and teachers continue to rise to the high demands as set forth by No Child Left Behind and standardized testing

A Postmodern Literary Aesthetics of Exploration and Resistance: The Example of Don DeLillo's Mao II

This thesis is concerned with the contemporary problematics associated with the representation of lived experience and navigation of the postmodern world. Specifically, it explores the literary representation of the spatial, temporal, and subjective relationships between the individual and a society increasingly dominated by the proliferation of reproducible images and spectacles. Taking the Benjaminian concept of the destruction of the aura of authenticity in the age of mechanical reproduction and Baudrillard's discussion of the aura's replacement with a series of simulacra as central theoretical underpinnings, the paper defends literature as a privileged and productive site for the thinking through of postmodern experience. In complement with a discussion of numerous theoretical concepts, the thesis uses Don DeLillo's novel, Mao II as a practical application of the argument that literature can exert a shaping influence on public consciousness. The text stands as an ideal example of the type of "thinking through" that the paper advocates, both on the level of the plot with the protagonist novelist, and on the level of composition of the text, with DeLillo's authorship of social critique in novel form. The thesis takes a trajectory that begins with an analysis of postmodern space and difficulties of spatial navigation and continues to a discussion of the subjective dislocation of the individual when faced with the prospect of being in the postmodern world. Within the issue of the dislocation of subjectivity and unique identity, it focuses particularly on the differences between modern and postmodern modes of authorship, especially in reference to what Guy Debord has termed the "society of the spectacle." In addition, the discussion of the prevalence of photography in DeLillo's novel seeks to explore the complicity and resistance of that medium's mixed relationship with the problematics outlined above. Ultimately, the paper speculates as to the productive possibilities DeLillo ascribes to the postmodern artist/author through his commentary within, and structural and narrative approach to, Mao II; concluding that literature can only remain a site of privileged "thinking through" of lived experience if it remains aware of its place within the society it critiques and cultivates an aesthetics of resistance from within that society.</p

Frequency and risk factors of acute kidney injury during diabetic ketoacidosis in children and association with neurocognitive outcomes

Importance: Acute kidney injury (AKI) occurs commonly during diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in children, but the underlying mechanisms and associations are unclear. Objective: To investigate risk factors for AKI and its association with neurocognitive outcomes in pediatric DKA. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study was a secondary analysis of data from the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network Fluid Therapies Under Investigation in DKA Study, a prospective, multicenter, randomized clinical trial comparing fluid protocols for pediatric DKA in 13 US hospitals. Included DKA episodes occurred among children age younger than 18 years with blood glucose 300 mg/dL or greater and venous pH less than 7.25 or serum bicarbonate level less than 15 mEq/L. Exposures: DKA requiring intravenous insulin therapy. Main Outcomes and Measures: AKI occurrence and stage were assessed using serum creatinine measurements using Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes criteria. DKA episodes with and without AKI were compared using univariable and multivariable methods, exploring associated factors. Results: Among 1359 DKA episodes (mean [SD] patient age, 11.6 [4.1] years; 727 [53.5%] girls; 651 patients [47.9%] with new-onset diabetes), AKI occurred in 584 episodes (43%; 95% CI, 40%-46%). A total of 252 AKI events (43%; 95% CI, 39%-47%) were stage 2 or 3. Multivariable analyses identified older age (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] per 1 year, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.00-1.09; P = .03), higher initial serum urea nitrogen (AOR per 1 mg/dL increase, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.11-1.18; P \u3c .001), higher heart rate (AOR for 1-SD increase in z-score, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.09-1.32; P \u3c .001), higher glucose-corrected sodium (AOR per 1 mEq/L increase, 1.03; 95% CI, 1.00-1.06; P = .001) and glucose concentrations (AOR per 100 mg/dL increase, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.07-1.32; P = .001), and lower pH (AOR per 0.1 increase, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.51-0.78; P \u3c .001) as variables associated with AKI. Children with AKI, compared with those without, had lower scores on tests of short-term memory during DKA (mean [SD] digit span recall: 6.8 [2.4] vs 7.6 [2.2]; P = .02) and lower mean (SD) IQ scores 3 to 6 months after recovery from DKA (100.0 [12.2] vs 103.5 [13.2]; P = .005). Differences persisted after adjusting for DKA severity and demographic factors, including socioeconomic status. Conclusions and Relevance: These findings suggest that AKI may occur more frequently in children with greater acidosis and circulatory volume depletion during DKA and may be part of a pattern of multiple organ injury involving the kidneys and brain

Teaching Strategies for Diverse Classrooms: Including the Non-traditional Student

Adult enrollment in higher education increased by 50 percent between 1991 and 2011, and continues to increase while traditional enrollments decline across America. How to meet the diverse needs of adults continuing their education part-time while juggling work, family and community commitments is a challenge. Attend this workshop to increase your understanding of teaching strategies that make online and face-to-face learning activities more applicable for non-traditional learners

Averting HIV Infections in New York City: A Modeling Approach Estimating the Future Impact of Additional Behavioral and Biomedical HIV Prevention Strategies

Background:New York City (NYC) remains an epicenter of the HIV epidemic in the United States. Given the variety of evidence-based HIV prevention strategies available and the significant resources required to implement each of them, comparative studies are needed to identify how to maximize the number of HIV cases prevented most economically.Methods:A new model of HIV disease transmission was developed integrating information from a previously validated micro-simulation HIV disease progression model. Specification and parameterization of the model and its inputs, including the intervention portfolio, intervention effects and costs were conducted through a collaborative process between the academic modeling team and the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The model projects the impact of different prevention strategies, or portfolios of prevention strategies, on the HIV epidemic in NYC.Results:Ten unique interventions were able to provide a prevention benefit at an annual program cost of less than $360,000, the threshold for consideration as a cost-saving intervention (because of offsets by future HIV treatment costs averted). An optimized portfolio of these specific interventions could result in up to a 34$106,378; the total cost was in excess of $2 billion (over the 20 year period, or approximately$100 million per year, on average). The cost-savings of prevented infections was estimated at more than $5 billion (or approximately$250 million per year, on average).Conclusions:Optimal implementation of a portfolio of evidence-based interventions can have a substantial, favorable impact on the ongoing HIV epidemic in NYC and provide future cost-saving despite significant initial costs. © 2013 Kessler et al

Educating Pharmacy Students to Improve Quality (EPIQ) in Colleges and Schools of Pharmacy

Objective. To assess course instructors’ and students’ perceptions of the Educating Pharmacy Students and Pharmacists to Improve Quality (EPIQ) curriculum. Methods. Seven colleges and schools of pharmacy that were using the EPIQ program in their curricula agreed to participate in the study. Five of the 7 collected student retrospective pre- and post-intervention questionnaires. Changes in students’ perceptions were evaluated to assess their relationships with demographics and course variables. Instructors who implemented the EPIQ program at each of the 7 colleges and schools were also asked to complete a questionnaire. Results. Scores on all questionnaire items indicated improvement in students’ perceived knowledge of quality improvement. The university the students attended, completion of a class project, and length of coverage of material were significantly related to improvement in the students’ scores. Instructors at all colleges and schools felt the EPIQ curriculum was a strong program that fulfilled the criteria for quality improvement and medication error reduction education. Conclusion. The EPIQ program is a viable, turnkey option for colleges and schools of pharmacy to use in teaching students about quality improvement