Baseline survey and habitat analysis of aquatic salamanders in the Pigeon River, North Carolina

The Pigeon River was severely impacted beginning in the early 1900s by a paper mill located in Canton, North Carolina. The mill discharged chemical byproducts into the Pigeon River until 1992 when the paper mill modified their processes. As a result, water quality improved but the status of salamander species in the Pigeon River was unknown. Worldwide amphibian declines over the last 20 years have drawn attention to the need for more research and a better understanding of species-specific habitat relationships. There is concern about amphibian population declines because amphibians are critical to the balance of ecosystems and are considered exceptional indicators of environmental health. The objectives of this study were: 1) to conduct a baseline survey of salamander species composition in the Pigeon River watershed, 2) to determine if salamander populations differ above and below the Canton paper mill, and 3) to attempt to explain variance in salamander abundance, richness and diversity by comparing water quality and substrate characteristics among streams. Eight stations were examined on the Pigeon River, with four stations located above the paper mill and four stations below. We also chose three stations on each of four tributaries, Big Creek, Fines Creek, Jonathan Creek and Richland Creek. Snorkel surveys were completed in the summer of 2009. Five of eight species of stream salamanders were found that historically existed in Haywood County, NC: Eastern hellbender, Blue Ridge two-lined salamander, shovel-nosed salamander, black-bellied salamander and spring salamander. No salamanders were found in the main channel of the Pigeon River below the mill. Eastern hellbenders and Blue Ridge two-lined salamanders preferred substrates consisting of rubble and avoided bedrock. Percent rubble was the only variable retained in substrate models and was positively related to salamander abundance, richness and diversity. Conductivity, salinity, and water temperature were higher in the Pigeon River below the mill than at all other sites. Salamander abundance was explained by dissolved oxygen, pH, and stream width in water quality models. The results of this study suggest salamander abundance was negatively associated with the Pigeon River below the mill because of poor water quality and not habitat availability

Michigan Production Costs for Tart Cherries by Production Region

The weighted average cost of producing tart cherries in Michigan on a representative farm in 2009 is $0.36/lb. This cost was averaged across the three main production regions in Michigan and weighted by average per acre production for each region as published by the Michigan Agricultural Statistics Service. --Costs vary across the main production regions and by farm size. Costs are about$0.04/lb less for mid-sized farms in Northwest Michigan and $0.08/lb and$0.10/lb in West Central and Southwest Michigan, respectively. --This report was developed through interviews with tart cherry growers and other experts in each of the three main growing regions in 2005 and 2006. Many of the numbers were updated in 2009. --The cost of production calculation is based on estimates of operating costs, harvest costs, and management, interest and tax costs. It also includes an amortized cost of establishing an orchard and employing the land in production (versus some other use). The following tables summarize the cost findings for each of the production regions.Tart cherry, costs, production, Michigan, Agribusiness, Crop Production/Industries, Q100, Q120,

Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization, and Feelings of Decreased Personal Accomplishment Oh My: What Message Are We Sending To Our Students?

PURPOSE: The purpose of this presentation is to address the issue of burnout amongst PTs through the lens that addressing this issue in our profession may very well be the first step in building resilience in the academic and clinical environments. METHODS AND/OR DESCRIPTION: Physical therapy student well-being is a priority for academic institutions. Yet, are we, as academic and clinical faculty, who are responsible for promoting student well-being, “well” ourselves? Could burnout of our academic and clinical faculty impact our student’s wellness? Burnout is a syndrome described as emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and feelings of decreased personal accomplishment. All effects that can influence our own health, work environment, and relationship with others. During this session, we will review the literature regarding the prevalence of burnout amongst PTs and cite factors that may contribute to burnout. We will describe its effects on the health of the provider, atmosphere of the work environment, student instruction and well-being, and ultimately the quality of care received by our patients. Finally, drawing from current research, we will investigate solutions to mitigate burnout in academic and clinical faculty to promote wellness and resilience. RESULTS/OUTCOMES: There is evidence PTs are experiencing a moderate level of burnout at an incidence that, in some cases, is higher than other healthcare professionals. Both job related stresses as well as intrinsic individual factors have been cited as contributing to burnout. This includes factors such as lack of communication and connectedness, diminished personal achievement, time constraints, lack of support from supervisors and colleagues, role conflict and ambiguity, and failure to utilize a task-related coping style. Results show that the effects of burnout can include decreased psychological, physical, and cognitive function, somatic and physical arousal, decreased immunity, morale, and productivity, absenteeism, job turnover, and alcohol and drug abuse. Further, those experiencing burnout develop a negative self-concept, have a poor attitude towards their job including a loss of concern for their patients, co-workers, and themselves. Solutions to alleviate burnout and promote well-being in physical therapists include the use of social network analysis, teamwork, communication, leadership, professional identity programs, targeted work unit interventions, use of rewards and incentives, flexibility and work life integration, and self-care. CONCLUSIONS/RELEVANCE TO CONFERENCE THEME: As academic and clinical faculty, we are in a position to have a major impact on our students. If we want to promote resilience and well-being in our students, it is important that we ourselves are not experiencing burnout and are role-modeling strategies that promote resilience. The effects of burnout are significant and will not only take their toll on our own health but also can influence our relationships with our students. It is important that when building resilience in the academic and clinical environments, we address the needs of both the faculty and the students

Relative allelopathic potential of invasive plant species in a young disturbed woodland

Invasive plant species are often more successful within introduced areas when compared to their natural ranges. Allelopathy has been suggested as a potential mechanism for this success because invasive plants frequently establish monocultures and may produce allelochemicals evolutionarily novel to the recipient community. However, species are typically tested in isolation making the relative strength of allelopathy difficult to assess. We conducted laboratory bioassays for 10 co-occurring non-native species to determine the relative strength of their allelopathic potential. These species represented a suite of successful invaders within a young forest and were from a variety of plant life forms: trees, lianas, shrubs, and herbs. We determined the germination responses of a target species to a gradient of leaf extract concentrations to assess relative allelopathic potential. The relative strength of germination inhibition was quantified by the slope (b) of the germination response to plant extract concentration. Ailanthus altissima extract had the greatest inhibitory effect on target species germination out of all 10 species (b 5 20.55) while the other tree species, Acer platanoides extract, had small effects on germination (b 5 20.14). For lianas, Celastrus orbiculatus extract inhibited the target species (b 5 20.28) more than Lonicera japonica extract (b 5 20.06). All invasive shrub extracts had very small effects on seed germination (b value 20.03 to 20.19). Extracts of the two herbaceous species, Alliaria petiolata and Microstegium vimineum, had very large inhibitory effects (b520.37 and 20.38, respectively). In this system, we screened a suite of invasive species for allelopathic potential and determined the relative strength of germination inhibition. Most species, particularly invasive shrubs, did not exhibit sufficient allelopathic potential to suggest allelopathy would occur in the field. Four species, Ailanthus altissima, Alliaria petiolata, C. orbiculatus, and M. vimineum all exhibited strong germination inhibition and warrant additional study in the field

Will It Blend? A practical approach to evaluating the big deal

This presentation describes a new approach to evaluating Big Deal packages. This approach enables librarians to negotiate with publishers more effectively by comparing the cost per download of package titles with the expected cost per download of competing publishers’ titles currently provided through interlibrary loan. The element of competition compensates for the effect of inflated journal list prices and, in some cases, will show that a Big Deal package is not the most cost effective way to provide access to articles. The model uses a publisher’s list price and JR1 data for all titles within a package to sort titles by cost per download. Additionally, the model combines a library’s interlibrary loan data with journal title list prices to produce an equivalent list of titles from a variety of publishers. These two lists are combined with additional data which reflects each library’s individual circumstance, including budget, usage inflation, and interlibrary loan costs. The resulting output is a blended list of package titles and individual titles from other publishers to which the library could afford subscriptions as an alternative to the package deal, while maintaining a sufficient budget to provide all non-subscribed material through interlibrary loan. The presentation is in the form of a case study which describes the model developed by California Polytechnic State University (San Luis Obispo) for use by the California State University system in their current negotiations with publishers. This model improves upon work conducted by David Beales (formerly at Imperial College London) and used by the Research Libraries UK (RLUK) consortium in their successful negotiations with Elsevier and Wiley Blackwell

A qualitative assessment of using lay trainers with type 2 diabetes in an intervention programme for people at risk of type 2 diabetes

Objective: More knowledge is needed on the impact of expert patients within health intervention programmes. The University of East Anglia Impaired Fasting Glucose (UEA-IFG) feasibility programme was a structured dietary and exercise intervention to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in susceptible individuals. Lay volunteers with T2DM (T2 trainers) were recruited to support participants in adopting healthier lifestyles. This study aimed to explore the acceptability, perceived effectiveness and sustainability of lay trainers within the programme. Design: A qualitative focus group study. Setting: A clinical research unit in Norwich, United Kingdom (UK). Method: Focus groups were conducted with: (1) T2 trainers (n = 15); (2) programme participants who had received their support (n = 11); and (3) salaried staff facilitators who had worked alongside the T2 trainers (n = 3). Framework analysis was applied to identify the different experiences of the lay trainer role. Results: All groups perceived advantages for peer support, particularly in sharing the day-to-day experiences of living with T2DM. However, staff facilitators raised the importance of role boundaries, emphasizing that T2 trainers should not provide medical advice. Acceptability of T2 trainers was enhanced by contacting participants at a convenient time and before substantial lifestyle changes had been made. Conclusion: Lay trainers were seen as a complementary method to motivate individuals to reduce their risks of T2DM. A less prescriptive approach needs to be adopted to enable full integration of lay trainers, allowing them a greater level of contribution. To sustain effective use of lay trainers, health professionals need to work alongside volunteers and be trained to encourage peer involvement