Nesting Success of Dickcissel (Spiza americana) and Non-breeding Grassland Bird Use of Northwest Arkansas’ Remnant and Restored Tallgrass Prairies

Dwindling populations of North American grassland birds are linked to habitat loss. Tallgrass prairie only covers 3% of its pre-settlement-era range. Small-scale restoration projects attempt to increase acreage for prairie avifauna, and while some breeding grassland species are present at these sites, nesting success and non-breeding use are still largely unknown. Both life history aspects are required for effective grassland bird conservation. My first objective was to access nest success of the Dickcissel (Spiza americana) at two remnant and two restored tallgrass prairies in Northwest Arkansas. From May-August 2017 and 2018, I found 114 nests that I monitored to determine ultimate fate. I selected vegetative characteristics collected at nest and random sites combined with site-level variables to inform a logistic exposure model. Mean nest success was 8.5%, which varied by site but appeared unaffected by restoration status. Excluding predator presence, the most important predictors of nest success were site size size and brood parasitism. Prairie Kingsnake (Lampropeltis calligaster) was the primary nest predator. My second objective was to identify field site characteristics and vegetation use by non-breeding grassland-obligate birds in two remnant and three restored tallgrass prairies in Northwest Arkansas. Between September 2017 and May 2018, I tallied 44 species. Only eight species were grassland-obligate, but this assemblage accounted for about half of all detections. Grassland-obligate diversity was similar across seasons and between sites, except for a small isolated restored prairie which hosted much lower diversity. Dickcissel and Sedge Wren (Cistothorus platensis) detection rates increased significantly with distance to woody edge, indicating area sensitivity. Some species used primarily grass and forb, others utilized burned areas, and Le Conte’s Sparrow (Ammodramus lecontei) frequented shrubs. Northwest Arkansas’ remnant and restored tallgrass prairies are valuable for nesting Dickcissel and a suite of non-breeding grassland birds. Special consideration for maintaining large parcels with fire that are distant from paved roads should be given for breeding Dickcissel. Acquiring large parcels and maintaining a shifting vegetation mosaic while retaining some woody vegetation could satisfy diverse habitat preferences for non-breeding grassland avifauna

Fibrina: An Active-Infused Protein Carrier Delivery System, and its Automated Production for Cosmetics Use

Human skin is constantly exposed to outside elements, making it one of the most vulnerable organs. Factors that contribute to deterioration of the skin’s appearance include disease, injury, and age. Cosmetics companies seek new developments to improve skin appearance. The team has discovered that fibrin, the body’s first responder protein in wound healing, can encapsulate retinol, a popular active ingredient used in cosmetics. Fibrin can be degraded by bromelain, a natural enzyme, to control the release of retinol. This demonstrates the opportunity for fibrin’s use as a carrier for cosmetic product ingredients. The team developed an automated process for producing fibrin microthreads infused with active ingredients, which were converted into particles, incorporated into a topical cream

Feminist Attitudes of Non-labelers

Recent studies on those who label themselves as feminists and non-feminists have become a popular topic of research. Past research has found that many women hold feminist values, but don’t label themselves as feminists. Those who identify as feminists have been found to have higher levels of well-being than those who do not identify as a feminist (Zucker & Bay-Cheng, 2010). Other benefits have been found such as empowerment, resilience against sexism, and improved body-image (Zucker & Bay-Cheng, 2010). Yet, many women continue to not identify with labeling themselves as feminists (Fitz, Zucker, & Bay-Cheng, 2012). In the current study, we examined the phenomenon of “I’m a feminist, but…” through the relationship between feminists, non-labelers, and non-feminists. Specifically, we analyzed how they differ on feminist identity attitudes via the Feminist Identity Composite Scale consisting of five attitudes: passive acceptance, revelation, embeddedness-emanation, synthesis, and active commitment (FIC; Fischer et al., 2000). We collected usable date from 337 female undergraduate students from two universities. They were asked to indicate agreement with core feminist beliefs (Zucker, 2004), indicate whether they identified as a feminist, and complete a survey regarding feminist identity questions. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was ran to test the multiple dependent variables. Preliminary results indicate a significant difference among non-labelers, feminists, and non-feminists. This suggests that researchers and practitioners in psychology should consider non-labelers to be a unique group of women separate from clear feminists and non-feministshttps://openriver.winona.edu/urc2019/1027/thumbnail.jp

Anchorage of High-Strength Reinforcing Bars with Standard Hooks - Initial Tests

The effects of embedment length, side cover, quantity of confining transverse reinforcement, location of hook (inside or outside the column core), concrete compressive strength, hooked bar size, and hook bend angle on anchorage capacity are investigated using the results of 329 tests of standard hooks loaded in tension. No. 5, 8, and 11 hooks were tested in beam-column joints with concrete compressive strengths ranging from 4,300 to 13,700 psi. The results of the tests are compared with the provisions in ACI 318-11, and equations to describe the anchorage strength of 90° hooks for hooks not confined by transverse reinforcement, hooks confined by two No. 3 ties, and hooks confined by No. 3 ties spaced at 3db are developed. Hooks cast inside the column core have greater ultimate anchorage force than those cast outside the column core, hook bend angle has a negligible effect on ultimate anchorage force, and ultimate anchorage force increases as the quantity of confining transverse reinforcement increases. For hooks not confined by transverse reinforcement, the anchorage capacity increases more rapidly than embedment length. For hooks confined by transverse reinforcement, small embedment lengths develop significant anchorage forces; increases in embedment length result in additional capacity, but anchorage capacity is less than proportional to embedment length. Comparisons to the provisions in ACI 318-11 show that the ultimate anchorage force of larger hooked bars and the effect of concrete compressive strength are overpredicted by the current design requirements. Analysis of 90° hooks cast inside the column core show that there is an increase in ultimate anchorage force with an increase in bar diameter; this effect increases as the quantity of confining transverse reinforcement increases within the range of values evaluated in this study. Ultimate anchorage force also increases with an increase in cover to the center of the bar for bars not confined by transverse reinforcement; this effect decreases as the quantity of transverse reinforcement increases and has no effect for bars confined by No. 3 ties spaced at 3db

Initial severity of depression and efficacy of cognitive-behavioural therapy: individual-participant data meta-analysis of pill-placebo-controlled trials

BACKGROUND: The influence of baseline severity has been examined for antidepressant medications but has not been studied properly for cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) in comparison with pill placebo. AIMS: To synthesise evidence regarding the influence of initial severity on efficacy of CBT from all randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in which CBT, in face-to-face individual or group format, was compared with pill-placebo control in adults with major depression. METHOD: A systematic review and an individual-participant data meta-analysis using mixed models that included trial effects as random effects. We used multiple imputation to handle missing data. RESULTS: We identified five RCTs, and we were given access to individual-level data (n = 509) for all five. The analyses revealed that the difference in changes in Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression between CBT and pill placebo was not influenced by baseline severity (interaction P = 0.43). Removing the non-significant interaction term from the model, the difference between CBT and pill placebo was a standardised mean difference of -0.22 (95% CI -0.42 to -0.02, P = 0.03, I2 = 0%). CONCLUSIONS: Patients suffering from major depression can expect as much benefit from CBT across the wide range of baseline severity. This finding can help inform individualised treatment decisions by patients and their clinicians.R01 MH060998 - NIMH NIH HHS; R34 MH086668 - NIMH NIH HHS; R01 AT007257 - NCCIH NIH HHS; R21 MH101567 - NIMH NIH HHS; K02 MH001697 - NIMH NIH HHS; R01 MH060713 - NIMH NIH HHS; R34 MH099311 - NIMH NIH HHS; R21 MH102646 - NIMH NIH HHS; K23 MH100259 - NIMH NIH HHS; R01 MH099021 - NIMH NIH HH