Quantification of Nursery Habitats for Blue Crabs in Chesapeake Bay

The blue crab is an iconic species in Chesapeake Bay, supporting important commercial and recreational fisheries and functioning as a critical link in the food web. Structurally complex habitats are often cited as nurseries for the blue crab, and other commercially important fish and crustacean species, by providing enhanced growth and survival for juveniles. I quantified the value of shallow habitats as nurseries for blue crabs through field studies and a demographic model. In Chapter 2, I utilized a two-year juvenile survey in vegetated habitats of the lower Bay to examine the effect of habitat complexity on the density of juvenile blue crabs. The functional relationship between seagrass cover and juvenile density was exponential, such that there were proportionally more crabs per unit increase in cover of vegetated habitat at high percent cover than at low percent cover. The relationship varied spatially, with higher densities on the eastern shore, and between the two years. The high spatial and annual variability led to questions about how habitat utilization varied throughout the recruitment season. I addressed the timing of recruitment and migration between habitats in Chapter 3 through the development of a survey of shallow habitats in the York River with high temporal and spatial resolution. The study provided evidence for a carrying capacity of juvenile blue crabs in vegetated habitats at 10-15 crabs m2. I found substantially higher densities of small juveniles in shallow unvegetated habitats than previously documented, which suggested that the current paradigm for blue crab recruitment requires modification to include the importance of shallow unvegetated habitats for small juveniles. In Chapter 4, I examined the effect of habitat utilization patterns as a function of age or ontogeny on the blue crab stock assessment by comparing juvenile density and abundance estimates from shallow vegetated and unvegetated habitats to estimates from deep habitats sampled by the primary survey for the stock assessment. Juvenile abundance was very high in both shallow habitats despite the relatively smaller area, thus suggesting that the winter dredge survey substantially underestimated the abundance of juvenile crabs. If this bias is inconsistent inter-annually, potentially as a function of temperature, then stock assessments may be producing biased reference points. Finally, I developed an exploratory habitat-specific demographic model to quantify the effects of habitat on population fitness in Chapter 5. Under all fishing mortality rates, including a complete fishing moratorium, the population growth rate was less than 1 when only unvegetated habitat was present; the increased survival of age-0 crabs provided by vegetated habitats led to increases in the population growth rates. The vegetated habitats provided a buffer from fishing mortality; that is, as the survival of juveniles increased in vegetated habitats, the population could sustain higher fishing mortality rates while still remaining stable or even increasing. Shallow vegetated habitats substantially influence juvenile blue crabs and the overall population growth rate. It is essential that these habitats be considered in future explorations of the dynamics of blue crabs, as well as other species that exhibit ontogenetic shifts in habitat utilization

Bipartite Functional Fractionation within the Default Network Supports Disparate Forms of Internally Oriented Cognition.

Our understanding about the functionality of the brain's default network (DN) has significantly evolved over the past decade. Whereas traditional views define this network based on its suspension/disengagement during task-oriented behavior, contemporary accounts have characterized various situations wherein the DN actively contributes to task performance. However, it is unclear how different task-contexts drive componential regions of the DN to coalesce into a unitary network and fractionate into different subnetworks. Here we report a compendium of evidence that provides answers to these questions. Across multiple analyses, we found a striking dyadic structure within the DN in terms of the profiles of task-triggered fMRI response and effective connectivity, significantly extending beyond previous inferences based on meta-analysis and resting-state activities. In this dichotomy, one subset of DN regions prefers mental activities "interfacing with" perceptible events, while the other subset prefers activities "detached from" perceptible events. While both show a common "aversion" to sensory-motoric activities, their differential preferences manifest a subdivision that sheds light upon the taxonomy of the brain's memory systems. This dichotomy is consistent with proposals of a macroscale gradational structure spanning across the cerebrum. This gradient increases its representational complexity, from primitive sensory-motoric processing, through lexical-semantic representations, to elaborated self-generated thoughts.This research was funded by an MRC programme grant to MALR (MR/R023883/1) and a Sir Henry Wellcome Fellowship (201381/Z/16/Z) to RC

Translating Globally Threatened Marine Species Information into Regional Guidance for the Gulf of Mexico

A comprehensive understanding of the status of marine organisms in the Gulf of Mexico is critical to the conservation and improved management of marine biodiversity in the region. Threats and extinction risk, based on application of the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria at the global level, were analyzed for 1,300 Gulf of Mexico marine species. These species include all known marine mammals, sea birds, marine reptiles, cartilaginous fishes, bony shorefishes, corals, mangroves, seagrasses and complete clades of select invertebrates. Analyses showed that 6% of these species are threatened, 2% Near Threatened, 9% Data Deficient, and 83% Least Concern. However, the majority of these species are not endemic to the Gulf, and therefore are globally impacted by threats that may or may not be particularly intense within the Gulf. For example, many of these species are impacted by fisheries in much of their global range; however, the intensity of fishing pressure varies across their ranges, and some of these exploited species are well managed in the Gulf of Mexico. Other anthropogenic impacts, including industrial development, pollution, and habitat loss also vary in intensity across species\u27 global ranges. Here we provide recommendations for interpreting the application of global IUCN Red List Categories at the subglobal/regional scale, while highlighting conservation measures needed for marine species specific to the Gulf region

Nurse Practitioner Opioid Prescribing and Educational Requirements in Canada and the Unites States: A Narrative Review

Introduction/Background: Canada and the U.S had the highest level of opioid consumption per capita worldwide in 2015 (Pasricha et al., 2018). Nurse Practitioners (NPs) are authorized to prescribe opioids in both Canada and the U.S.Purpose: This narrative review aims to examine the differences in NP opioid-related educational requirements and prescribing patterns between the U.S. and Canada. Methods: A narrative review was used to synthesize findings from literature obtained through computerized databases, authoritative texts, and hand searches. Discussion: As of 2010, NPs in Canada and the U.S. must hold a master\u27s degree. American NPs must obtain a Drug Enforcement Administration(DEA) license to prescribe opioids; the Canadian government authorized NPs to prescribe opioids in 2012, with varying provincial licensure requirements. New American national guidelines for prescribing opioids for chronic pain were released by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention in 2016; McMaster University in Canada followed and published ‘The 2017 Canadian Guideline for Opioids for Chronic Non-Cancer Pain.’. In contrast to Canada, NP opioid prescribing in the U.S. is monitored though the DEA drug monitoring program, and NPs complete a national survey every 5 years regarding all prescribing practices. Canada lacks emergency department (ED) specific opioid prescribing guidelines whereas 24 American states have implemented them. Implications for Future Research: Canadian NP opioid prescribing is under-researched. Further research is needed to provide a more adequate comparison with American data. Additionally, research regarding ED specific guidelines could provide valuable information to guide prescribers in this rapidly changing, high-stress environment

Evaluation of Striped Bass Stocks in Virginia: Monitoring and Tagging Studies, 2023 Progress Report

This report presents the results of striped bass (Morone saxatilis) tagging and monitoring activities in Virginia during the period 1 December 2022 through 30 November 2023. It includes an assessment of the biological characteristics of striped bass taken from the 2023 spring spawning run and estimates of annual survival and fishing mortality based on annual spring tagging. The information contained in this report is required by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and is used to implement a coordinated management plan for striped bass in Virginia, and along the eastern seaboard

Global Extinction Risk for Seahorses, Pipefishes and Their Near Relatives (Syngnathiformes)

Few marine taxa have been comprehensively assessed for their conservation status, despite heavy pressures from fishing, habitat degradation and climate change. Here we report on the first global assessment of extinction risk for 300 species of syngnathiform fishes known as of 2017, using the IUCN Red List criteria. This order of bony teleosts is dominated by seahorses, pipefishes and seadragons (family Syngnathidae). It also includes trumpetfishes (Aulostomidae), shrimpfishes (Centriscidae), cornetfishes (Fistulariidae) and ghost pipefishes (Solenostomidae). At least 6% are threatened, but data suggest a mid-point estimate of 7.9% and an upper bound of 38%. Most of the threatened species are seahorses (Hippocampus spp.: 14/42 species, with an additional 17 that are Data Deficient) or freshwater pipefishes of the genus Microphis (2/18 species, with seven additional that are Data Deficient). Two species are Near Threatened. Nearly one-third of syngnathiformes (97 species) are Data Deficient and could potentially be threatened, requiring further field research and evaluation. Most species (61%) were, however, evaluated as Least Concern. Primary threats to syngnathids are (1) overexploitation, primarily by non-selective fisheries, for which most assessments were determined by criterion A (Hippocampus) and/or (2) habitat loss and degradation, for which assessments were determined by criterion B (Microphis and some Hippocampus). Threatened species occurred in most regions but more are found in East and South-east Asia and in South African estuaries. Vital conservation action for syngnathids, including constraining fisheries, particularly non-selective extraction, and habitat protection and rehabilitation, will benefit many other aquatic species

ANNUAL REPORT 2022 - Data collection and analysis in support of single and multispecies stock assessments in Chesapeake Bay: The Chesapeake Bay Multispecies Monitoring and Assessment Program

The threats affecting living marine resources are diverse, including overfishing, climate change, and pollution. In response to long-term challenges in fisheries management, a more holistic evaluation of the natural and anthropogenic drivers of populations sizes is needed. Ecosystem management (EM), a suite of strategies that incorporate ecosystem considerations into fisheries and ecosystem management, can be difficult to implement in practice. In the Mid-Atlantic, efforts to implement EM are ongoing; one output has been the annual ‘State of the Ecosystem Report’ for the region, synthesizes available data on a variety of environmental, ecological, and socioeconomic factors. Historically, the data needed for EM in Chesapeake Bay were either incomplete or nonexistent. In 2002, the Chesapeake Bay Multispecies Monitoring and Assessment Program (ChesMMAP) was developed to assist in filling these data gaps, and ultimately to support Bay-specific species and ecosystem assessment modeling. ChesMMAP is a fishery-independent monitoring survey that uses a bottom trawl designed to sample late juvenile-to-adult fishes in the mainstem of Chesapeake Bay. Since 2002, this program has provided data on relative abundance, length, weight, sex ratio, maturity, age, and trophic interactions for several important fish species that inhabit the Bay seasonally. In this annual progress report, we synthesize available biological data on 12 bony fishes that support local recreational fisheries, including abundance (biomass and number), length- and age-structure, sex ratio, maturity stage, and diet composition. However, in 2019, the survey underwent a major redesign: VIMS took possession of a new research vessel, the R/V Virginia, and the survey bottom trawl gear was replaced with a net consistent with the gear used by other regional bottom trawl surveys (i.e., the Northeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program and Northeast Fisheries Science Center trawl surveys). At this time, the survey stratification was revised and changes were made to the cruise schedule. During 15 calibration cruises (2019-2022), 516 paired-tows were completed, which was deemed sufficient for robust statistical analysis. Species-specific intercalibrations have been conducted by applying log-Gaussian Cox processes to the paired-tow data and modeling the size distribution of the population at each sampling site and the size-structured clustering of fish at small temporal and spatial scales. The manuscript describing the application to the ChesMMAP calibration data is currently in review. The ChesMMAP data inform Bay- and coast-wide fisheries management decisions and the broader use of these data in theses, dissertations, and the peer-reviewed literature contributes to a better understanding of the Bay ecosystem

Astronaut Health Participant Summary Application

The Longitudinal Study of Astronaut Health (LSAH) Participant Summary software captures data based on a custom information model designed to gather all relevant, discrete medical events for its study participants. This software provides a summarized view of the study participant s entire medical record. The manual collapsing of all the data in a participant s medical record into a summarized form eliminates redundancy, and allows for the capture of entire medical events. The coding tool could be incorporated into commercial electronic medical record software for use in areas like public health surveillance, hospital systems, clinics, and medical research programs

Rape Victimization and High Risk Sexual Behaviors: Longitudinal Study of African-American Adolescent Females

Objectives: African-American women are affected by disproportionately high rates of violence and sexually transmitted infections (STI)/human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. It is imperative to address the intersection of these two urgent public health issues, particularly as these affect African-American adolescent girls. This study assessed the prevalence of rape victimization (RV) among a sample of African-American adolescent females and examined the extent to which participants with a history of RV engage in STI/HIV associated risk behaviors over a 12-month time period.Methods: Three hundred sixty-seven African-American adolescent females ages 15-21, seeking sexual health services at three local teenager-oriented community health agencies in an urban area of the Southeastern United States, participated in this study. Participants were asked to complete an audio computer-assisted self-interview (ACASI) at baseline, six- and 12-month follow-up. We assessed sociodemographics, history of RV and sexual practices. At baseline, participants indicating they had experienced forced sex were classified as having a history of RV.Results: Twenty-five percent of participants reported a history of RV at baseline. At six- and 12-months, victims of RV had significantly lower proportions of condom-protected sex (p=.008), higher frequency of sex while intoxicated (p=.005), more inconsistent condom use (p=.008), less condom use at last sex (p=.017), and more sex partners (p=.0001) than non-RV victims. Over the 12-month follow-up period, of those who did not report RV at baseline, 9.5% reported that they too had experienced RV at some point during the 12-month time frame.Conclusion: African-American adolescent females who experience RV are engaging in more risky sexual behaviors over time than non-RV girls, thereby placing themselves at higher risk for contracting STIs. In light of the results from this unique longitudinal study, we discuss considerations for policies and guidelines targeting healthcare, law enforcement and educational and community settings. The complexities of RV screening in healthcare settings are examined as is the need for tighter collaboration between healthcare providers and law enforcement. Finally, we consider the role of prevention and intervention programs in increasing awareness about RV as well as serving as an additional safe environment for screening and referral. [West J Emerg Med. 2011;12(3):333-342.