Supporting proactive management in the context of climate change: Prioritizaing range-shifting invasive plants based on impact

Non-native, invasive plants are projected to shift their ranges with climate change, creating hotspots of risk where a multitude of novel species may soon establish and spread. The Northeast U.S. is one such hotspot. However, because monitoring for novel species is costly, these range-shifting invasive plants need to be prioritized. Preventing negative impacts is a key goal of management, thus, comparing the potential impacts of range-shifting invasive species could inform this prioritization. Here, we adapted the Environmental Impacts Classification for Alien Taxa (EICAT) protocol to evaluate potential impacts of 100 invasive plants that could establish either currently or by 2050 in the states of New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, or Rhode Island. We searched Web of Science for each species and identified papers reporting ecological, economic, human health, or agricultural impacts. We scored ecological impacts from 1 (‘minimal concern’) to 4 (‘major’) and socio-ecological impacts as present or absent. We evaluated 865 impact studies and categorized 20 species as high-impact, 36 as medium-impact, and 26 as low-impact. We further refined high-impact invasive species based on whether major impacts affect ecosystems found in Northeast U.S. and identified five high-priority species: Anthriscus caucalis, Arundo donax, Avena barbata, Ludwigia grandiflora, and Rubus ulmifolius. Additional research is needed for 18 data-deficient species, which had no studies reporting impacts. Identifying and prioritizing range-shifting invasive plants provides a unique opportunity for early detection and rapid response that targets future problem species before they can establish and spread. This research illustrates the feasibility of using impacts assessments on range-shifting invasive species in order to inform proactive policy and management

E-Mentoring Women: Lessons Learned From A Pilot Program

Mentoring has been identified as a key strategy for career development and organizational advancement and has been argued to be indispensable for women to succeed. E-mentoring has increased in popularity as a means of increasing access to mentors, especially female, and reducing some of the challenges associated with being mentored by men. Although access to mentors and mentoring is considerably improved in an e-mentoring environment, it is unclear if the quality and effectiveness of e-mentoring matches traditional mentoring. This qualitative study examines the overall effectiveness of an e-mentoring program focusing on providing psycho-social and career-development support to female mentees, developing trust in a virtual environment, and the mentee/mentor matching process

Regional Invasive Species & Climate Change Management Challenge: Prioritizing range-shifting invasive plants High-impact species coming to the Northeast

Prevention of new invasions is a cost-effective way to manage invasive species and is most effective when emerging invaders are identified and prioritized before they arrive. Climate change is projected to bring nearly 100 new invasive plants to the Northeast. However, these plants are likely to have different types of impacts, making some a higher concern than others. Here, we summarize the results of original RISCC research that identifies high priority, range-shifting invasive plants based on their potential impacts

Can e-mentoring take the "gender" out of mentoring?

Mentoring has been identified as a key strategy for career development and organizational advancement, and has been argued to be indispensable for women to succeed. E-mentoring has increased in popularity as a means of reducing some of the challenges associated with being mentored by men. Numerous studies conducted on formal mentoring programs have concluded that there are serious implications to consider in traditional cross-gendered mentoring schemes. A sample of six mentees and seven mentors (three female and four male) were interviewed after a year-long e-mentoring program was created to promote women to leadership roles within the Information Technology (IT) sector. The paper explores whether gender-biases encountered in traditional mentoring schemes are transcended when using an e-mentoring platform. Results from this qualitative study suggest that mentor gender still impacts the mentoring relationship even in a virtual environment. The study’s findings indicated male mentors tended to be more methodological in solving problems with their mentees, unlike female mentors who took a more indirect approach. Further, female mentors improved their mentee’s confidence through encouragement and relating to their mentee on a more personal level, a practice often avoided by their male counterparts. A summary of these findings is provided below, followed by a detailed discussion of the results and a section offering possible future research avenues to explore

A Brief, Intensive Application of Multi-Family-Based Treatment for Eating Disorders

There is a continued need to improve upon the efficacy and availability of treatments for anorexia nervosa. Family-based therapy for anorexia nervosa demonstrates strong empirical evidence; however, trained treatment providers are limited and a subsample of participants receiving the treatment fail to respond. The intensive family treatment program is a brief, time-limited, multi-family program that trains families of adolescents with eating disorders to oversee their adolescents’ recovery at home by providing psychoeducation, skills training, and immersive practice over the course of a 5-day period. This article provide a description of the program by summarizing underlying theoretical principles and key therapeutic components

A Brief, Intensive Application of Multi-Family-Based Treatment for Eating Disorders.

There is a continued need to improve upon the efficacy and availability of treatments for anorexia nervosa. Family-based therapy for anorexia nervosa demonstrates strong empirical evidence; however, trained treatment providers are limited and a subsample of participants receiving the treatment fail to respond. The intensive family treatment program is a brief, time-limited, multi-family program that trains families of adolescents with eating disorders to oversee their adolescents' recovery at home by providing psychoeducation, skills training, and immersive practice over the course of a 5-day period. This article provide a description of the program by summarizing underlying theoretical principles and key therapeutic components