Migratory shorebird ecology in the Hunter estuary, sourth-eastern Australia

Migratory shorebirds inhabit the shorelines of rivers, wetlands, oceans and lakes, where they need to rest and feed during their non-breeding seasons to prepare for their annual migrations to breeding grounds in the Arctic. Along their flyways many non-breeding and stop-over sites are under pressure from coastal developments, disturbance, global sea level rise and water resource development. In this thesis I investigated how migratory shorebirds responded to habitat loss in the Hunter estuary, a non-breeding site in south-eastern Australia, and how they used remaining estuarine habitats. The Hunter estuary is a wetland of international importance but has a long history of modification from industrial and urban development which began in the late 1800s. Based on recent counts (2001-07), the Hunter estuary now only supports two species in internationally significant numbers (Eastern Curlews Numenius madagascariensis and Sharp-tailed Sandpipers Calidris acuminata) compared to seven species listed from earlier records (1970-90). Overall, I detected a 42% decline in total numbers of migratory shorebirds (1981 - 2007) in the estuary, with significant declines (44 - 83%) in four species. The tidal cycle was the main driver for the distribution of shorebirds in the Hunter estuary with most species feeding in exposed intertidal mudflats at low tide and being forced to rest at high tide. Eastern Curlews roosted on artificial structures and sandbanks during the day but at night they moved to flooded saltmarshes. Shallow water was important at the roost sites, as it provided a mechanism for cooling on warm days and for detecting predators at night. Vigilance behaviour made up 30 - 40% of Eastern Curlews roosting time, but vigilance increased by about 20% prior to their migration (Feb-Mar). Day roosting habitat was most limited during spring high tides and periods of high disturbance. Disturbance was significant at the day roosts (0.8 - 1.;7 hr-1), mostly from birds of prey, but Eastern Curlews spent longer in flight after being disturbed by people. The tidal period and tide type (neap or spring) determined shorebird distribution on intertidal mudflats. Intertidal mudflats in Fullerton Cove provided important feeding habitat for many species, but artificial mudflats impounded in the North Arm of the Hunter River extended foraging time for small shorebird species which fed until the tide forced their relocation to the main day roosts. These impoundments increased in importance for all shorebirds during neap cycles and one to three hours before high tide when the availability of intertidal mudflats was limited in the rest of the Hunter estuary. Overall, a high percentage (> 90%) of Bar-tailed Godwits Limosa lapponica foraged during low tides and 50% of godwits continued to forage up to three hours after low tide. Foraging Bar-tailed Godwits were most successful in mudflats in Fullerton Cove but prey availability was not uniform among mudflats. Saltmarshes provided major night roosting habitat and important feeding habitat for small shorebird species, including Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, which foraged in saltmarsh regardless of the tidal period. Generally, most shorebird species avoided saltmarshes with large stands of mangroves, preferring sites with open saltmarsh and tidal pools. Changes in attitudes towards wetlands management in the last three decades coincided with the formal protection and rehabilitation of shorebird habitat in the Hunter estuary. In 1995, culverts were removed to restore tidal flushing to estuarine wetlands on Ash Island, a highly modified wetland complex in the Hunter estuary.;Although high inter-annual variability in migratory shorebird populations made it difficult to detect short-term responses to wetland manipulation, long-term monitoring (1994-2007) indicated that increased tidal flushing had promoted mangrove expansion indirectly reducing habitat availability for shorebirds. Mangrove removal has the potential to restore this imbalance, but further studies are needed to support an adaptive management approach to managing shorebird habitat in the Hunter estuary. The cumulative loss and degradation of estuarine habitats in south-eastern Australia and other parts of the East Asian-Australasian flyway continue to threaten shorebird populations, but these impacts could be addressed through greater commitment to the protection and active management of shorebird roosting and feeding habitats in their non-breeding range

Prior Parental Incarceration and the Impact Towards Attitudes About Law Enforcement as Adults

The number of incarcerations has been climbing drastically, especially in the United States. A forgotten minority which remains understudied is those children of incarcerated individuals. Many studies have found parental separation to be associated with problematic behavior in children. However, little to no information is known on the attitudes of offspring of incarcerated people toward law enforcement and the police. The current study examined just this, researching children of incarcerated parents’ attitudes towards legitimacy and confidence in the police during adulthood. Participants (N = 55) were undergraduate students at a small university who gained extra credit for voluntary participation. The results of this study found significant effects caused by parental incarceration as a child to lead to a rise in negative attitudes towards law enforcement, both in confidence as well as legitimacy in the police

MISASSESSED RISK IN CONSUMER VALUATION OF FOOD SAFETY: AN EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

This study estimates Canadian consumers' willingness to pay for food safety improvements and identifies systematic misassessments of food-borne risks. Non-hypothetical experimental auctions were used to elicit consumer valuations of food safety improvement. Consistent with behavioural research, results suggest that subjects generally overestimate the likelihood of becoming ill due to food-borne disease relative to scientifically-estimated odds. Subjects were willing to pay a positive amount to reduce food-safety risk. Risk reductions' valuations increased with higher initial risk, supporting arguments of diminishing marginal value for risk reductions.Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

West Coast Aquatic Marine Planning Approach: Integrating Cultural Ecosystem Services

West Coast Aquatic and Planning RoleWest Coast Aquatic (WCA) is a forum for governments, communities, and businesses to work together on the health and wealth of the West Coast of Vancouver Island (WCVI) marine area. Most recently, WCA recently produced and approved a Coastal Strategy for the West Coast, which outlines principles, values, goals and objectives for the region. The Coastal Strategy also includes priority action areas, one of which is marine spatial planning in Barkley and Clayoqout Sounds.The WCA approach to marine spatial planning includes the development of an adaptive planning tool, which provides a Sound-wide spatial depiction of the different values in the area so that businesses, planners and managers can make better informed decisions as development opportunity grows and environment changes. Included in this tool are maps with designations that show current values and circumstances in each planning unit. The value of this approach provides more detailed guidance to new applicants and planners about areas that may or may not be suitable for development without undermining ecological, cultural and other values, thus decreasing the risks and realities of future negative impacts and conflicts. West Coast Aquatic Planning Approach and Inclusion of Cultural Ecosystem ServicesThe West Coast Aquatic planning approach is highly participatory, with partnerships and engagement at the community level and also with multiple government agencies, institutions, and sector associations. A participatory approach is reflected in the planning process through the collection and use of local, sectoral, managerial, and expert knowledge, data, values, and goals to inform plan development. With its partners, WCA discusses current and future uses that respect the area and its important cultural, social, economic, and ecological features and values. Non-material values linked to ecosystems, including sense of place, aesthetic values, cultural heritage and others, strongly contribute to well-being for those living and visiting Barkley and Clayoqout Sounds.Data collection was an important initial stage in WCA’s planning. Our data sources range from publically available data, data from researchers obtained though sharing and protocol agreements and data collected through local knowledge mapping interviews with user groups and First Nations. Protocol agreements have been put in place to govern the use and ownership of information collected and shared during the planning process, while providing WCA staff the opportunity to integrate culturally sensitive information into draft planning tools. The approach has provided an understanding of community visions and values for locations throughout the planning area, and the ability to map and characterize many of those values, including cultural ecosystem services. The result has allowed WCA to establish a new integrated decision-making approach to an area which previously lacked coordination and knowledge between sectors, jurisdictions and community. An adaptive planning approach will now allow the region to consider a wide spectrum of values when making integrated decisions about appropriate future locations for development and protection

Random subgraphs of finite graphs: I. The scaling window under the triangle condition

We study random subgraphs of an arbitrary finite connected transitive graph $\mathbb G$ obtained by independently deleting edges with probability $1-p$. Let $V$ be the number of vertices in $\mathbb G$, and let $\Omega$ be their degree. We define the critical threshold $p_c=p_c(\mathbb G,\lambda)$ to be the value of $p$ for which the expected cluster size of a fixed vertex attains the value $\lambda V^{1/3}$, where $\lambda$ is fixed and positive. We show that for any such model, there is a phase transition at $p_c$ analogous to the phase transition for the random graph, provided that a quantity called the triangle diagram is sufficiently small at the threshold $p_c$. In particular, we show that the largest cluster inside a scaling window of size |p-p_c|=\Theta(\cn^{-1}V^{-1/3}) is of size $\Theta(V^{2/3})$, while below this scaling window, it is much smaller, of order $O(\epsilon^{-2}\log(V\epsilon^3))$, with \epsilon=\cn(p_c-p). We also obtain an upper bound O(\cn(p-p_c)V) for the expected size of the largest cluster above the window. In addition, we define and analyze the percolation probability above the window and show that it is of order \Theta(\cn(p-p_c)). Among the models for which the triangle diagram is small enough to allow us to draw these conclusions are the random graph, the $n$-cube and certain Hamming cubes, as well as the spread-out $n$-dimensional torus for $n>6$

Effects of Interval Training on Memory Function, in College Students

The purpose of this study was to further investigate if exercise in the form of moderate intensity interval training influences memory function. While past studies have shown cognitive function improvements prior to both acute continuous moderate intensity exercise and high intensity interval training, no studies have been conducted to explore the effects of high intensity interval training on cognitive function. These previous studies also used a different method of measurement, a Stroop test, to measure cognitive function. This method is significantly different than the word recall test used in this study, which was designed to specifically assess cognitive function in a way that is more applicable to a specific population sample representative of college students. The population sample included a total of 20 participants. During the conduction of this study, participants engaged in both experimental and controlled conditions. During the controlled condition the participants were given three minutes to memorize a list of 15 words, followed by 15 minutes in a controlled environment, after which the participants were allowed three minutes’ to recall as many words as they could remember. The experimental portion of this study included the same methodology as the controlled apart from 15 minutes of interval training rather than a controlled environment. This study found no statistical significance between moderate intensity interval training and cognitive function, specifically short term memory. Therefore, this study failed to confirm that moderate intensity interval training evokes cognitive function benefits equivalent to those demonstrated in the previous studies

EWB Malawi Human- Powered Mechanical Maize Mill

Our Engineers Without Borders, Malawi Team at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, began cooperation with Kumponda in December 2013. The team found food security to be the greatest challenge faced by the community due to severe droughts. The Human-Powered Maize Mill will address this issue by allowing community members to grind their maize independently rather than depending on the unreliable electric maize mill. This will then reduce the time commitment and expenses currently necessary to grind maize; a staple in their diet. The team began implementation this December collaborating with community members so that they will be able to reproduce a maize mill and perform maintenance when necessary. The community members will then be able to share their knowledge and recreate similar maize mills in surrounding communities. The maize mill built in country differed slightly from the prototype due to constraints in materials and therefore requires improvements in a trip the team plans to take this summer. The team has been prototyping weekly and is confident in the abilities of a new design. We have also kept regular contact with the community in order to maintain a strong relationship and update them on our progress. Once completed the project will have a lasting impact by improving economic opportunities within the community