Understanding Rare Species In California: An Assessment Of Camatta Canyon Amole (Hooveria Purpurea Var. Reducta) And A Meta-Analysis Of California Rare Plants In Literature

California is currently in the midst of a biodiversity crisis. There are approximately 5,000 native species of plants in California, a quarter of which are considered rare. Determining threats to these rare plants is often times difficult. Despite California\u27s botanical resources, we still know very little about much of California’s rare plants. San Luis Obispo County is home to 2,000 of California’s native plant taxa, one- third of which are rare or endemic to the county. These species are of great local and environmental concern. In Chapter 1, we attempted to assess the impact of non native species on a threatened species in eastern San Luis Obispo County. We conducted an invasive thatch removal experiment on 10 vegetation plots of Camatta Canyon Amole, Hooveria purpurea var. reducta. The Camatta Canyon Amole (CCA) is a federally listed “threatened” plant that is only known to occur on 21.15 ha of land on Los Padres National Forest (LPNF). In the 1980s, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service established 10 plots to monitor the population of CCA. These biologists recorded a decrease in the CCA since the establishment of those plots in the 1980s. One hypothesis for the decline is the absence of cattle grazing from LPNF, which has resulted in the accumulation of a dense thatch layer. We experimentally removed this thatch layer in five of the 1980s vegetation plots to test this hypothesis. While our the experiment was designed to be a long term treatment, from the first 1.5 years, we found no relationship between thatch removal and the amount of CCA in each plot. The effect of our treatment may take many years to materialize. In Chapter 2, we conducted extensive botanical surveys of the Camatta Ranch, a 32,000 acre cattle ranch in eastern San Luis Obispo County. The goal of these surveys was to estimate the distribution and population size of CCA on private property, which has never before been accessed or surveyed. We did this in two ways: 1) We created a density ratio estimate based off of plot sampling done on the ranch and 2) we created a species distribution model (SDM) to predict the likelihood of presence throughout the ranch. Our surveys of Camatta Ranch, coupled with our SDM suggest that a majority of CCA’s preferred habitat is on Camatta Ranch, making the ranch of paramount concern for CCA’s protection. Our estimates suggest that 90% of the total population of CCA occurs on Camatta Ranch. In Chapter 3, we attempted to quantify biases in the literature about California’s flora. The California Floristic Province is one of the most biologically diverse floras in the world. Considerable legal and conservation attention is given to rare plants in California. However, there is no information as to the research effort given to rare species in California. Here we ask the question: Is there more research done on rare plants in California than on non-rare species? To answer this question, we quantified the amount of literature available on Google Scholar for California’s rare plants, weeds, and non-rare natives. To account for the differences in species geographic extent, we aggregated occurrence data for each species from GBIF to determine their ranges. We found that rare species were severely under-represented in the literature, even after accounting for the differences in species extent

Physical aggression, compromised social support, and 10-year marital outcomes: Testing a relational spillover model

The purpose of the present study was to test a relational spillover model of physical aggression whereby physical aggression affects marital outcomes due to its effects on how spouses ask for and provide support to one another. Newlywed couples (n = 172) reported levels of physical aggression over the past year and engaged in interactions designed to elicit social support; marital adjustment, and stability were assessed periodically over the first 10 years of marriage. Multilevel modeling revealed that negative support behavior mediated the relationship between physical aggression and 10-year marital adjustment levels whereas positive support behavior mediated the relationship between physical aggression and divorce status. These findings emphasize the need to look beyond conflict when explaining how aggression affects relationships and when working with couples with a history of physical aggression who are seeking to improve their relationships

Output, Employment and Wages in the Small Open Economy. ESRI Memorandum Series No. 132 1979

The high level of employment consistently maintained by most western countries during the 1950s and 1960s lent credence to Keynes's view that the level of effective demand was the main determinant of output, and, therefore, of employment. A reappraisal of this view appeared necessary in the 1970s as governments faced accelerating inflation and unemployment. Alternative schools developed, attempting to discredit the notion that govern­ment-induced variations in aggregate demand could necessarily maintain output, and, thus, employment, at desired levels. The aim of this paper is to consider the short-run interrelations between output, employment and wages, with special reference to the small open economy; and to contrast the policy implications for such an economy with those arising from the traditional "Keynesian" closed economy model

Isoskeletal Schiff base polynuclear coordination clusters: synthetic and theoretical aspects

This work addresses and enlightens synthetic aspects derived from our effort to systematically construct isoskeletal tetranuclear coordination clusters (CCs) of the general formula [TR2Ln2(LX)4(NO3)2(solv)2] possessing a specific defected dicubane topology, utilizing various substituted Schiff base organic ligands (H2LX) and NiII/CoII and Dy(OTf)3 salts. Our synthetic work is further supported by DFT studies

Supply-side determinants of Energy Consumption and Efficiency (ECE) innovations

This paper empirically analyses the supply-side determinants of eco-innovations related to Energy Consumption or Efficiency (ECE) for electricity and other energy sources. Using preliminary firm-level data from a 2010 survey of innovation activity in Tasmania (a regional economy and state of Australia), a multinomial discrete choice model is employed to test the research hypotheses. The analysis shows the positive association between technological and organisational capabilities and ECE outcomes in electricity and other energy sources, with a specific effect from investment in external R&D. We also find differences in sectoral technological opportunities for ECE innovation and a positive effect for firm structure and size. Our contribution is to show the importance of supply-side factors on ECE innovation outcomes and draw attention to their potential policy relevance.<br

Free Fatty Acids Quantification in Dairy Products

Quantification of free fatty acids in dairy products is not only important due to their (fatty acids) impact on the flavour and texture of dairy products but also because of their potential impact on nutrition and health, and as anti-microbial agents. This chapter provides an overview of the practical issues associated with existing lipid extraction techniques and quantification procedures using gas chromatography flame-ionization detection. The most widely used methods are compared and recent advancements in the quantification of free fatty acids in dairy products are discussed

The History of Autism

https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/schopler-about/1002/thumbnail.jp

A chemical sensor based on a photonic-crystal L3 nanocavity defined in a silicon-nitride membrane

The application of a silicon-nitride based L3 optical nanocavity as a chemical sensor is explored. It is shown that by adjusting the thickness of an ultra-thin Lumogen Red film deposited onto the nanocavity surface, the fundamental optical mode undergoes a progressive red-shift as the layer-thickness increases, with the cavity being able to detect the presence of a single molecular monolayer. The optical properties of a nanocavity whose surface is coated with a thin layer of a porphyrin-based polymer are also explored. On exposure of the cavity to an acidic-vapour, it is shown that changes in the optical properties of the porphyrin-film (thickness and refractive index) can be detected through a reversible shift in the cavity mode wavelength. Such effects are described using a finite difference time-domain model