Synopsis of biological data on the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus Rathbun

This synopsis reviews taxonomy, morphology, distribution, life history, commercial hard and soft shell crab fisheries, physiology, diseases, ecology, laboratory culture methodology, and influences of environmental pollutants on the blue crab, Callinecles sapidus. Over 300 selected, published reports up to and including 1982 are covered. (PDF file contains 45 pages.

Population Health of Spotted Salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) in Created Vernal Pools: an Integrative Approach

Habitat creation is an important tool for conservation to counteract habitat loss and degradation. Vernal pools are susceptible to destruction due to limited detection, protection, and regulation. These wetlands provide fishless breeding habitat for many amphibian species including spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) in eastern North America. Determining whether created vernal pool habitat is successful is often determined by demographic data of colonizing populations. I suggest that hormone levels, population genetics, and disease prevalence can improve our understanding of population health in created habitat. The goal of this dissertation was to assess the health of spotted salamander larvae in created vernal pools quantified by corticosterone levels, genetic diversity and structure, and ranavirus prevalence. I also wanted to determine if there were habitat characteristics impacting these parameters to inform future construction techniques and produce habitat conducive to healthy colonizing amphibian populations. I examined whether habitat traits influenced corticosterone levels of salamander larvae in created vernal pools. The strongest model predicting corticosterone levels included larval total length, pool-water temperature, year sampled, and pool diameter. Annual variation in corticosterone levels and habitat characteristics, and positive associations with water temperature and salamander body size highlighted the importance of controlling for external influences. The negative association between pool diameter and corticosterone indicated that larvae in larger pools (up to 12.75-m maximum diameter) were less stressed and potentially healthier. Water-borne hormone sampling is relatively new to amphibians, so I attempted to biologically validate the method for spotted salamanders by comparing water-borne and plasma corticosterone concentrations of the same individuals. There were differences in corticosterone concentrations between larvae, metamorphs, and adults, but there were no correlations between water-borne and plasma concentrations for any of the age groups. The two sampling methods have different units of measurement which might affect the association between the two. I evaluated the genetic structure and genetic diversity of spotted salamander larvae in created vernal pools. I also examined whether local habitat characteristics at the pool level influenced effective number of breeders, relatedness, or genetic diversity. The youngest pools exhibited genetic differentiation, founder’s effect, and low effective number of breeders. Effective number of breeders was positively associated with pool age, vegetation cover, pool diameter, and sample size. Pool cover and vegetation cover was also negatively associated with relatedness. Allelic richness and expected heterozygosity did not have strong environmental predictors. I surveyed spotted salamander larvae in created vernal pools for ranavirus prevalence and measured viral load in individual larvae. I tested associations between ranavirus prevalence and viral load and habitat characteristics, genetic diversity, corticosterone levels, and body size. I detected ranavirus in 62% of pools in 84 of 1,128 larvae (7%). Prevalence at pools ranged from 0–63%. Salamanders infected with ranavirus had greater total length, which was also positively correlated with viral load. There were no associations between ranavirus prevalence or viral load and habitat characteristics, salamander genetic diversity, relatedness, effective number of breeders, or corticosterone levels. These results indicate larger pool diameter (up to 12.75 m) and greater vegetation cover are important habitat traits to consider when creating vernal pool habitat for spotted salamanders. This research demonstrates that effective number of breeders can increase and genetic differentiation can decrease within 4–5 years of pool creation, a sign of rapid colonization and potential population establishment. The widespread occurrence of ranavirus in created pools illustrates the risk of disease exposure in newly created habitat; even with the generally low prevalence among salamanders in the majority of pools. The correlation between ranavirus and salamander total length could be a reflection of differences in susceptibility through developmental stages or increased risk of exposure over time. This study contributes to the growing body of knowledge on the association between habitat quality and corticosterone levels and genetic diversity of amphibians. The disease surveillance will add a species and county record for West Virginia, contribute to current distribution maps, and document disease prevalence levels in created habitat. The results of this dissertation will help inform current management and future site selection and habitat creation by highlighting important habitat characteristics for spotted salamanders. Finally, this research illustrates the value of incorporating interdisciplinary approaches to assess the success of habitat creation and colonizing wildlife populations

On One-Pass CPS Transformations

We bridge two distinct approaches to one-pass CPS transformations, i.e., CPS transformations that reduce administrative redexes at transformation time instead of in a post-processing phase. One approach is compositional and higher-order, and is independently due to Appel, Danvy and Filinski, and Wand, building on Plotkin's seminal work. The other is non-compositional and based on a reduction semantics for the lambda-calculus, and is due to Sabry and Felleisen. To relate the two approaches, we use three tools: Reynolds's defunctionalization and its left inverse, refunctionalization; a special case of fold-unfold fusion due to Ohori and Sasano, fixed-point promotion; and an implementation technique for reduction semantics due to Danvy and Nielsen, refocusing. This work is directly applicable to transforming programs into monadic normal form

Water‐borne and plasma corticosterone are not correlated in spotted salamanders

Water‐borne hormone measurement is a noninvasive method suitable for amphibians of all sizes that are otherwise difficult to sample. For this method, containment‐water is assayed for hormones released by the animal. Originally developed in fish, the method has expanded to amphibians, but requires additional species‐specific validations. We wanted to determine physiological relevance of water‐borne corticosterone in spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) by comparing concentrations to those taken using established corticosterone sampling methods, such as plasma. Using a mixture of field and laboratory studies, we compared water‐borne corticosterone levels to other traditional methods of sampling corticosterone for spotted salamander larvae, metamorphs, and adults. Despite multiple attempts, and detecting differences between age groups, we found no correlations between water‐borne and plasma corticosterone levels in any age group. Water‐borne sampling measures a rate of release; whereas plasma is the concentration circulating in the blood. The unique units of measurement may inherently prevent correlations between the two. These two methods may also require different interpretations of the data and the physiological meaning. We also note caveats with the method, including how to account for differences in body size and life history stages. Collectively, our results illustrate the importance of careful validation of water‐borne hormone levels in each species in order to understand its physiological significance

Water‐borne and Plasma Corticosterone are not Correlated in Spotted Salamanders

Water‐borne hormone measurement is a noninvasive method suitable for amphibians of all sizes that are otherwise difficult to sample. For this method, containment‐water is assayed for hormones released by the animal. Originally developed in fish, the method has expanded to amphibians, but requires additional species‐specific validations. We wanted to determine physiological relevance of water‐borne corticosterone in spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) by comparing concentrations to those taken using established corticosterone sampling methods, such as plasma. Using a mixture of field and laboratory studies, we compared water‐borne corticosterone levels to other traditional methods of sampling corticosterone for spotted salamander larvae, metamorphs, and adults. Despite multiple attempts, and detecting differences between age groups, we found no correlations between water‐borne and plasma corticosterone levels in any age group. Water‐borne sampling measures a rate of release; whereas plasma is the concentration circulating in the blood. The unique units of measurement may inherently prevent correlations between the two. These two methods may also require different interpretations of the data and the physiological meaning. We also note caveats with the method, including how to account for differences in body size and life history stages. Collectively, our results illustrate the importance of careful validation of water‐borne hormone levels in each species in order to understand its physiological significance

Children\u27s experiences of companion animal maltreatment in households characterized by intimate partner violence

Cruelty toward companion animals is a well-documented, coercive tactic used by abusive partners to intimidate and control their intimate partners. Experiences of co-occurring violence are common for children living in families with intimate partner violence (IPV) and surveys show that more than half are also exposed to abuse of their pets. Given children\u27s relationships with their pets, witnessing such abuse may be traumatic for them. Yet little is known about the prevalence and significance of this issue for children. The present study examines the experiences of children in families with co-occurring pet abuse and IPV. Using qualitative methods, 58 children ages 7–12 who were exposed to IPV were asked to describe their experiences of threats to and harm of their companion animals. Following the interviews, template analysis was employed to systematically develop codes and themes. Coding reliability was assessed using Randolph\u27s free-marginal multirater kappa (kfree = .90). Five themes emerged from the qualitative data, the most common being children\u27s exposure to pet abuse as a power and control tactic against their mother in the context of IPV. Other themes were animal maltreatment to discipline or punish the pet, animal cruelty by a sibling, children intervening to prevent pet abuse, and children intervening to protect the pet during a violent episode. Results indicate that children\u27s experiences of pet abuse are multifaceted, potentially traumatic, and may involve multiple family members with diverse motives

What an Agile Leader Does: The Group Dynamics Perspective

When large industrial organizations change to (or start with) an agile approach to operations, managers and some employees are supposed to be “agile leaders” often without being given a clear definition of what that comprises when building agile teams. An inductive thematic analysis was used to investigate what 15 appointed leaders actually do and perceive as challenges regarding group dynamics working with an agile approach. Team maturity, Team design, and Culture and mindset were all categories of challenges related to group dynamics that the practitioners face and manage in their work-life that are not explicitly mentioned in the more process-focused agile transformation frameworks. The results suggest that leader mitigation of these three aspects of group dynamics is essential to the success of an agile transformation

Identification and Quantification of Proteoforms by Mass Spectrometry

A proteoform is a defined form of a protein derived from a given gene with a specific amino acid sequence and localized post-translational modifications. In top-down proteomic analyses, proteoforms are identified and quantified through mass spectrometric analysis of intact proteins. Recent technological developments have enabled comprehensive proteoform analyses in complex samples, and an increasing number of laboratories are adopting top-down proteomic workflows. In this review, we outline some recent advances and discuss current challenges and future directions for the field