Effects of Religious and Science Identity on Compatibility

Science and religion sometimes appear to clash; for example, some religious organizations reject COVID-19 restrictions on religious grounds. However, many people, like millions of religious scientists, see science and religion as perfectly compatible. The purpose of this study is to examine how people who identify as religious and people who identify as scientists think about science and religion as either compatible or in conflict. The study was conducted with psychology and honors undergraduate students at the University of Maine and consisted of surveys asking about students’ religious and science commitment, as well as their perceptions of the science-religion relationship. We hypothesized and found that UMaine students higher in religious commitment saw science and religion as more compatible, whereas people higher in commitment to science saw science and religion as more in conflict. We also investigated differences between Honors and Non-Honors students, finding that students in the UMaine Honors program were more likely to both have a stronger science identity and see science and religion as more in conflict as compared to the Non-Honors group, which saw them as more compatible

Neuronal and non-neuronal signals regulate <i>Caernorhabditis elegans</i> avoidance of contaminated food

One way in which animals minimise the risk of infection is to reduce their contact with contaminated food. Here we establish a model of pathogen-contaminated food avoidance using the nematode worm Caernorhabditis elegans. We find that avoidance of pathogen-contaminated food protects C. elegans from the deleterious effects of infection and, using genetic approaches, demonstrate that multiple sensory neurons are required for this avoidance behaviour. In addition, our results reveal that avoidance of contaminated food requires bacterial adherence to non-neuronal cells in the tail of C. elegans that are also required for the cellular immune response. Previous studies in C. elegans have contributed significantly to our understanding of molecular and cellular basis of host-pathogen interactions and our model provides a unique opportunity to gain basic insights into how animals avoid contaminated food

Assessing the impact of the Lake Kissimmee restoration on apple snails

Seasonal fluctuations in rainfall occur naturally in Florida, historically producing correspondingly large intra-annual and inter-annual fluctuations in lake water levels. As a result, "normal" lake levels are elusive; the norm is for wide fluctuations, a pattern which earned them the descriptive title, "astatic", or unstable (Brenner et. al. 1990). Lake Kissimmee, in Osceola County, FL, had a mean average water level fluctuation of 1.4 meters, but over several years varied as much as 3.7 meters (Grocki 1975).The substrate and vegetative communities, in part, reflect the pattern of hydrologic fluctuations, their timing, duration, and frequency. Topographic variability in lake systems, coupled with their hydrologic patterns, yield a mosaic of shrubby, emergent and submerged plant habitats in the littoral zone of the lake. Fish and wildlife have adapted accordingly, and successfully forage and reproduce in these highly fluctuating systems. Installation and operation of water control structures over the past 40 to 50 years have dampened the degree of hydrologic fluctuations in many Florida lakes, resulting in long term stabilization oflake levels [Holcomb and Wegener 1971, Wegener et. al. 1974, Fox et. al. 1977, Moyer and Williams 1982, Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission (GFC) 1995]. The mean annual flux on Lake Kissimmee was reduced from 1.4 meters to 0.9 meters (Wegener et al 1973). In addition, increased nutrient inputs to Florida's watersheds from agricultural and urban development have resulted in lake eutrophication (Wegener et. al. 1974, Moyer and Williams 1982). As nutrients increased and water levels stabilized, rooted aquatic macrophytes expanded and organic debris accumulated to form undesirable lake substrates. Fish populations suffer from drops in accumulated to form undesirable lake substrates. Fish populations suffer from drops in dissolved oxygen associated with decaying algae and plant matter, the alteration of plant community composition, and poor habitat quality of the substrate (Wegener and Williams 1974). To remedy these problems in Florida lakes, the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission initiated a lake restoration program in 1971 which emphasizes the use of a lake draw down to expose sediments (GFC 95). The objective ofthe program is to reduce undesirable plant species, expand desirable plant communities, and consolidate flocculent organic sediments (Holcomb and Wegener 1971, Wegener et. al. 1974, Fox et. al. 1977, Cooke 1980, Tarver 1980, GFC 1995). In addition, muck removal operations following lake level draw downs are meant to resolve the problem of extensive build up of organic sediments (GFC 1995, Moyer et. al. 1995). The goal of the draw down and restoration activity is to improve aquatic habitat in support of fisheries and wildlife while improving lake quality for recreational usage (e.g. sport fishing) (Wegener and Williams 1974, Tarver 1980,. GFC 1995). The Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission (GFC), in cooperation with the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), conducted a draw down of Lake Kissimmee from December 1995- June 1996, dropping lake levels by approximately 1.7 meters. The Lake Kissimmee draw down provided an excellent opportunity to investigate the impact of management techniques on an invertebrate which is a critical component of the central lakes food web, the Florida apple snail (Pomacea paludosa, SAY). Although data on the responses of some invertebrate species 2 to draw downs in central Florida are available (Wegener et. al. 1974, Fox et. al. 1977, Butler et. al. 1992), no published studies document the responses of P. paludosa. The Florida apple snail belongs to the tropical family of aquatic snails, Pilidae, which inhabitant wetland areas in Florida, Central and South America, Africa and India. Most Pilidae habitat typically (under natural hydrologic patterns) experiences a seasonal dry down, and the Florida apple snail is no exception. Pilidae snails utilize both a lung and gill for respiration (Andrews 1965). The dual respiratory system enables these animals to tolerate daily and seasonal dissolved oxygen fluctuations, permits egg-laying above water level (eggs thus avoid hypoxia and predation), and, in some Pilid species, enables adults to maintain aerobic respiration during the dry-season (McClary 1964, Burky et al. 1972, Aldridge 1983). Apple snails are critical components of lake food webs in Florida. They are prey to alligators (Alligator mississippiensis)( Delany and Abercrombie 1986), fish (Lepomis microlophus)(Chable 1947), turtles (Trionyxferox) (Dalrymple 1977), and ibis (Eudocimus albus)(Kushlan 1974). Apple snails comprise over 75% ofthe diet of the limpkins (Aramus guaraunaXCottam 1942), and nearly 100% ofthe diet of endangered snail kite (Rostramus sociabilis)(Snyder and Snyder 1969). Although the majority of the snail kite population occupies wetland habitats in south Florida throughout the year, they have been found to emigrate from this area when the dry season escalates into a prolonged drought (Beissinger and Takekawa 1983, Bennetts and Kitchens 1997). Researchers have identified the central lakes system as a critical refuge for the snail kite during these droughts (Beissinger and Takekawa 1983, Bennetts and Kitchens 1997). In 3 addition, the kites have been consistently nesting (even in non-drought years) on Lake Kissimmee and Lake Tohopekaliga since the early 1980's, providing further support (in the form of suitable foraging and nesting habitat) for the endangered kite population (Beissinger and Takekawa 1983, Bennetts and Kitchens 1997). The impetus for the Lake Kissimmee draw down is habitat improvement for fisheries and wildlife (GFC 1995). A conservation priority ranking system for Florida wildlife identifies the snail kite and limpkin, largely due to their specialized diet of apple snails, as deserving special attention for monitoring and management (Milsap et. a1. 1990).Moyer et a1. 1991 specifically recommended an evaluation ofthe impact of lake draw downs on apple snails. In this report we present the findings of a three-year study ofthe immediate and long term impacts ofthe Lake Kissimmee draw down and restoration activity on apple snail populations. The objectives ofthis research are as follows: • To study the impacts oflake restoration activity (e.g. draw down, muck removal) on snail populations in several sites throughout the lake by assessing pre-draw down and post-draw down snail abundance~ • To study the movement patterns of snails to find out what proportion ofthe population migrates to deeper water or become stranded in the dry down area as lake levels recede; • To study the capacity for snails to survive in dry down conditions (Document has 55 pages

Willingness to pay for locally produced foods: A customer intercept study of direct market and grocery store shoppers

Increasingly, grocery stores are marketing foods differentiated as locally produced. Freshness and taste are obvious reasons for consumer preference for these goods, but also important may be home-bias. Whatever the motive, there is substantial evidence that some consumers are willing to pay premium prices for food characterized as locally produced. A customer-intercept survey and a choice experiment of food shoppers in direct markets and traditional grocery stores was analyzed using Conjoint methods to evaluate WTP for characteristics related to locally grown fresh strawberries. Our results suggest that consumers are willing to pay more for locally produced berries: Customers intercepted in grocery stores would pay an average of 64 cents more per quart, while those intercepted at direct markets would pay nearly $1.17 more per carton of strawberries that was grown locally rather than berries identified simply as "produced in the U.S." These conclusions provide a solid rationale for the existence of niche market potential for local berry producers.Consumer/Household Economics,

Lung cancer and passive smoking: predicted effects from a mathematical model for cigarette smoking and lung cancer.

Epidemiological studies of active smokers have shown that the duration of smoking has a much greater effect on lung cancer risk than the amount smoked. This observation suggests that passive smoking might be much more harmful than would be predicted from measures of the level of exposure alone, as it is often of very long duration frequently beginning in early childhood. In this paper we have investigated this using a multistage model with five stages. The model is shown to provide an excellent fit to data on the incidence of lung cancer among smokers, ex-smokers and non-smokers in a cohort of male British doctors. Contrary to our expectation the model predicted only a slight increase in relative risk with increasing duration of passive exposure. Allowing for exposures early in life does not therefore explain the discrepancy between the relative risk of about 1.5 calculated from epidemiological studies of lung cancer and the low levels of exposure indicated by cotinine measurements in those passively exposed

Corn Cropping Systems to Improve Economic and Environmental Health

In 2021, UVM Extension’s Northwest Crops & Soils Program continued a multi-year trial at Borderview Research Farm in Alburgh, VT to assess the impact of corn cropping systems on overall health and productivity of the crop and soil. Management choices involving crop rotation, tillage, nutrient management, and cover crops also make differences in the long term. Yields are important and they affect the bottom line immediately and obviously. Growing corn with practices that enhance soil quality and crop yields improves farm resiliency to both economics and the environment. This project evaluated yield and soil health effects of five different corn rotations: continuous corn, no-till, corn planted in a rotation with perennial forage, corn planted after a cover crop of winter rye, and a perennial forage fescue

Recent results from the study of West Bohemian uranium miners exposed to radon and its progeny.

A brief description is given of the study of West Bohemian uranium miners, and recent and ongoing efforts to improve the quality of the data are summarized. Three recent analyses of the data from the cohort have led to rather different estimates of the excess relative risk of mortality from lung cancer per working-level month. The reasons for these different estimates are described, and it is concluded that estimates of lung cancer risk are strongly influenced by the quality of the exposure estimates, especially by the omission of some exposures accumulated during employment at other uranium mines, following the closure of most of the shafts at the original two mines. The most recent analysis has shown that, in common with other cohorts of radon-exposed miners, the excess relative risk of lung cancer per working-level month is modified by age and time since exposure. An inverse effect of exposure rate was also demonstrated, but it affected only men at very high concentrations and appears to be related to the time pattern of exposure. In addition, the risk was found to differ between the two main mines, possibly due to the influence of arsenic in the dust of the mines