Reproductive Strategies of Northern Goshawks and Cooper\u27s Hawks in North-Central New Mexico

I assumed that the reproductive strategies of the two Accipiter species investigated in this study, the northern Goshawk (A. gentilis) and the Cooper\u27s hawk (A. cooperii), would be similar to the strategies of other monogamous raptors with sex role partitioning. Any differences in the species\u27 reproductive strategies, particularly hunting strategies, were expected to be a function of their size differences. Contrary to predictions, results indicated that, in north-central New Mexico during brood rearing, both species had similar hunting strategies and utilized similar prey species. These results also indicated that the reproductive strategies of the Cooper\u27s hawk were not adequately described by simple models of sex role partitioning. In this population, over 50% of the female Cooper\u27s hawks deserted during the fledgling-dependency period and made no attempt to renest. In all cases of desertion, the male provided uniparental care until the young were independent. Based on time-energy budget estimates, the deserting females were in poorer physical condition at the time of desertion than were the nondeserting females. This was attributed to the deserter preferentially feeding the nestlings when the quantity of food delivered to the nest by either parent was inadequate to meet the family\u27s requirements. Based on these observations, I developed a dynamic stochastic optimization model to explore the hypotheses that (1) the optimal reproductive strategy of the female Cooper\u27s hawks is the strategy that maximizes her reproductive fitness; and (2) the major factors affecting the female\u27s reproductive fitness and, thus, her optimal strategies are her physical condition, the physical condition of the nestlings, the risks to the nestlings associated with each strategy, and the foraging capabilities of her mate. The model defined reproductive fitness as the weighted average of the nestlings\u27 expected survival and the female\u27s expected reproductive potential in the next breeding season. Using independent sources for the parameters, the model validation compared the model predictions with actual observations of the behavior of radio-tagged, nesting females in this population of Cooper\u27s hawks. The model correctly predicted 90% of the strategies exhibited by the nesting females, which supported the initial hypotheses

Synthesis of Knowledge on the Effects of Fire and Thinning Treatments on Understory Vegetation in U.S. Dry Forests

A century of fire exclusion in dry forests across the United States has resulted in high fuel loads and increasing dominance by fire-intolerant vegetation. Federal, state, and private agencies have adopted a goal of managing forests to reduce the risk of high-severity wildfire. Forest managers use a variety of tools to create desired conditions within forests; the most common are prescribed fire and mechanical thinning. These two treatments may be used separately or in combination, depending on restoration goals for the forest stand. Before these treatments can be applied, managers must justify their choice by documenting the effects of the treatment on other ecosystem components, such as understory vegetation. Understory vegetation in fire-dominated landscapes often has adapted to regrowing in frequent, low-severity fire regimes. Because fire releases nutrients and, by opening the canopy, allows light to the forest floor, the understory response is positive (e.g., increased growth or reproduction). Scientific reviews of the literature document the effect of fire (prescribed and wildfire) on both native and exotic understory vegetation. However, no synthesis is available on the effects of thinning treatments on understory vegetation. One goal of this document is to synthesize the literature on the effects of mechanical thinning on understory plant species. A second goal is to document the effect of prescribed burning on rare, threatened, or endangered species. We review current literature on studies that address effects of prescribed fire and thinning treatments on understory vegetation. The studies’ outcomes are presented in two sets of tables: (1) functional group results, and (2) species-specific results. Managers often are interested in and need to report the effects of treatments on species; functional group responses can provide a clue to how a species might respond if no other information is available. In general, fire and thinning treatments increased response of understory species. More intense treatments, such as combined thin+burn treatments and greater thinning intensity, had the highest increases in cover and production. Thin-only and burn-only treatments had more moderate increases. In addition, most studies found exotic plants’ response increased as disturbance intensity increased; however, most studies report very low invasive presence even after the treatments. If one of the goals of the forest management plan is to increase presence or cover of understory species in general, then prescribed fire and thinning treatments may be a viable option to restore forest understory. Rare, threatened, and endangered species in dry forest environments often respond favorably to prescribed fires. Many of the species reported in this document increased in abundance or reproduction or were unaffected by fire, indicating that prescribed fire is compatible with (or beneficial for) restoration of these species. The results of this synthesis illustrate several important lessons. First, current forest structure is the result of decades of fire-suppression activities, and so restoration will require multiple treatments to bring forests to within the range of historic variation. Second, while the treatments discussed in this document generally increased native plant responses, the same treatments also increased exotic plant response. Therefore, to avoid spread of exotic plant species, it is important to consider the context of the treatment area, (e.g., nearby roads, wildland urban interface, previous exotic plant invasions) before applying the treatments. Third, applying thinning and prescribed burning treatments in a mosaic pattern of treatment time and type across the landscape will help to maintain a diversity of vegetation (e.g., early-, mid-, and late-successional species across the landscape)

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: Financial Regulation for the 21st Century

After existing regulatory systems failed to prevent the recent financial crisis, Congress passed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, a sweeping reform designed to alleviate the crisis and prevent its recurrence. Out of this Act, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was born. This new agency is charged with making markets for consumer financial products and services work for Americans, a task that was previously spread out among seven different federal agencies with varying priorities. This Article describes, with a series of concrete case studies, four key principles that have guided the Bureau as it strives to fulfill Congress\u27s mandate. First, the Bureau has taken a market-based approach that reflects its belief in the power of markets and competition to produce increasingly better outcomes for consumers and responsible providers alike. Second, recognizing that understanding a market well is essential to effective regulation, the Bureau has relied on evidence-based analysis to inform all of its activities. Third, the Bureau has complemented its empirical analysis with input from all segments of the public-including consumers, advocates, and regulated entities. To facilitate the kind of robust public participation that will make for more effective regulation, the Bureau has employed innovative technologies and strong transparency policies. Finally, the Bureau has studied and learned from historic regulatory experiences and has adopted best practices from the public and private sectors. These four principles, and others which cascade from them, define the Bureau\u27s twenty-first century approach to promoting a well-functioning market for consumer financial services and effective consumer protection

Can Audit Prevent Fraudulent Financial Reporting Practices? Study of Some Motivational Factors in Two Atlantic Canadian Entities

Much as has been written and done to prevent Fraudulent Financial Reporting (FFR) practicesbut FFR is still exists in the corporate world. It is common to think about FFR practices in largecompanies for its greater amount of consequences, though such practises have negative consequencesin small companies as well. FFR practices raise questions about the legitimacy of contemporaryfinancial reporting process, roles of auditors, regulators, and analysts in financialreporting. This empirical study attempts to investigate the motivational factors of the preventionand detection of FFR through the auditing process. The interviewees were carried outwithin the entity and proprietary theoretical framework with some accounting related managementin two medium-sized organizations in Atlantic Canada in winter 2008. The findings ofthis research demonstrate that an audit is not enough to prevent and detect FFR. The auditstructure needs to be revised and employees need to be educated in order for them to betterunderstand their internal control process, and their own role. Companies need to evaluate theircontrols and internal audit process instead of relying on the yearly audit. This study found thatthe most common methods used for FFR are improper revenue recognition, understatement ofexpenses/liabilities, and overstated and misappropriation of assets. Copyright © www.iiste.or

The rise and demise of Octavia Hamilton: a study of colonial celebrity and scandal

This thesis recovers the history of Octavia Hamilton, a singer-celebrity who occupied colonial Victoria’s lyric stage between 1854 and 1865 before scandal destroyed her career, and provides insights into the cultural values of the era. The English born subject arrived in Melbourne in 1854 as Mrs Moon, a theatrical unknown, yet she secured her first singing engagement within a month under the pseudonym “Miss Octavia Hamilton”. Her celebrity was founded on a level of musical expertise that was valued, in part, because it supported colonists’ own projects of social mobility: attendance at high calibre musical productions showcased residents’ material and cultural capital. Hamilton’s history complicates the notion of colonial female respectability, supporting the argument that pragmatism was a stronger ideological force than evangelicalism in the construction of respectable female lyric stage identity in mid-nineteenth-century Victoria. This study of Hamilton’s life adds depth to our understanding of colonial female experience by revealing new connections between lyric stages performance and audience ambition, female philanthropists and celebrity music-makers, Melbourne’s ‘ladies’ and female artistes, and women in financial crisis from both the working and middle class. Hamilton’s history provides additional knowledge about enabling female networks and collaborative relationships between male and female professionals. While there is evidence of strong and diverse class support for Hamilton, analysis of her failure to connect with some audiences, such as Melbourne’s Trade Unionists, adds strength to the thesis' argument that spectator involvement in lyric stage culture was influenced by self-conscious projects of identity formation. An analysis of the two-phase nature of the Hamilton scandal provides new insights into social perceptions of female misdemeanour in mid-nineteenth-century Victoria. In a colony striving to build an image of civility, some residents were prepared to dim the lights on the publicised adultery of a singer with cultural utility. However, Hamilton’s perceived abandonment of her children in the second phase of the scandal saw her shunned by audiences, a response conveying the limits of colonial pragmatism. In this cultural history, the study of Hamilton’s rise and demise reveals as much about Victorian colonists as it does about a long-forgotten celebrity

Potential factors influencing nest defense in diurnal North American raptors

Nesting habitat, predator type, and level of reproductive effort influence nest defense behaviors in many bird species, yet no study has examined these or other possible factors influencing nest defense in a cross-species comparison for raptors. Using data from the literature, we grouped the nest defense behaviors of 19 diurnal North American raptors into four categories based on a gradient of aggressiveness. For each species, we identified the cover types where nesting occurred, accessibility of nest location, assessed two indices of reproductive effort, and examined associations between these factors and nest-defense behavior. We also we examined responses by raptor species to different predator types including diurnal avian, nocturnal avian, mammalian (not human), and human. Most raptor species with high reproductive effort exhibited very aggressive nest defense. Most raptor species nesting in open cover types and species with accessible nests showed aggressive nest defense. While many raptors react aggressively toward diurnal and nocturnal avian predators, they exhibit less aggressive defense against potential human predators. Results from this study suggest that a variety of factors may influence nest-defense strategies used by diurnal raptors. However, more work is needed on the relative influence of these factors (including predation risk) and variation in raptor nest defense strategies before general patterns can be elucidated