Breeding Season Ecology and Demography of Lesser Scaup (\u3ci\u3eAythya affinis\u3c/i\u3e) at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge

It is hypothesized that individuals make reproductive decisions based on current assessments of their physiological condition and environmental conditions. For female lesser scaup (Aythya affinis), breeding occurs after an energetically costly spring migration. Increasing fat reserves (i.e., ‘body condition’) prior to breeding allows a female to produce a larger clutch of eggs, but time spent gaining body condition is costly in terms of time allowed to raise ducklings before freezing conditions in the fall. In Chapter 2 I explored rate of pre-breeding body condition gain in female lesser scaup, and how that rate influenced clutch size. Spring phenology, measured by proxy as water temperature, and water depth strongly influenced the rate at which females increased body condition. Early springs with low water levels led to greater rates of body condition gain in female scaup. The higher the rate of body condition gain, the larger the clutch of eggs females produced. Body condition is also an important determinant of breeding in female ducks; females in poor body condition are more likely to forego breeding. I explored how body condition, wetland conditions, and prior experience influence a female’s decision to breed in Chapter 3. Body condition was a strong determinant of when a female bred, with females in good body condition breeding earlier than females in poorer body condition. Habitat conditions were also important, with drought reducing the proportion of breeding lesser scaup females. In Chapter 4 I examined survival costs of reproduction in female scaup. Nesting exposes females to increased predation risk (a concurrent survival cost), and reduced post-breeding body condition may reduce female survival the subsequent non-breeding season (a serial, or ‘downstream’, survival cost). Female survival during breeding and non-breeding seasons was most correlated with breeding season water level on the study site, but in opposite directions. Breeding season survival increased with increasing water levels, while non-breeding season survival declined. High water levels on the study site increased the availability of presumably high-security nesting habitat, and also increased female reproductive effort. The former increased breeding season survival, while the latter reduced non-breeding season survival

Exploring Internship Experiences of Counselors-in-Training through Pinterest: A Consensual Analysis

Field placements are one component of essentially all counselor education programs. However, little is known about the lived experiences of counselors-in-training enrolled in internship. Over the course of a semester, students enrolled in internship submitted images and comment to an on-line pinboard (Pinterest) to describe their weekly field placement experiences. Consensual qualitative research was utilized in this study to analyze the submissions and to better understand counseling students’ experiences during internship. Findings are presented and implications for counselor educators are discussed

Exploring Internship Experiences of Counselors-in-Training through Pinterest: A Consensual Analysis

Field placements are one component of essentially all counselor education programs. However, little is known about the lived experiences of counselors-in-training enrolled in internship. Over the course of a semester, students enrolled in internship submitted images and comment to an on-line pinboard (Pinterest) to describe their weekly field placement experiences. Consensual qualitative research was utilized in this study to analyze the submissions and to better understand counseling students’ experiences during internship. Findings are presented and implications for counselor educators are discussed

Addressing Barriers to Effective RTI through School Counselor Consultation: A Social Justice Approach

Response to Intervention (RTI) is a culturally responsive framework developed to provide targeted, evidence-based instruction to all students in regular education settings. A goal of RTI is to reduce the disproportionate number of students of color referred for special education services. However, numerous barriers often prevent teachers from effectively engaging in the RTI process and serve to impede the delivery of instruction. School counselors can provide rational emotive-social behavior (RE-SB) consultation for teachers to address psychosocial barriers and promote social justice. This article outlines RTI, barriers to implementation, and how school counselors can advocate for all students through RE-SB consultation

Dynamics of elastocapillary rise

We present the results of a combined experimental and theoretical investigation of the surface-tension-driven coalescence of flexible structures. Specifically, we consider the dynamics of the rise of a wetting liquid between flexible sheets that are clamped at their upper ends. As the elasticity of the sheets is progressively increased, we observe a systematic deviation from the classical diffusive-like behaviour: the time to reach equilibrium increases dramatically and the departure from classical rise occurs sooner, trends that we elucidate via scaling analyses. Three distinct temporal regimes are identified and subsequently explored by developing a theoretical model based on lubrication theory and the linear theory of plates. The resulting free-boundary problem is solved numerically and good agreement is obtained with experiments

Application of the Marcus Cross Relation to Hydrogen Atom Transfer/Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer Reactions

Proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) reactions are central to a wide range of chemical and biochemical processes. The past decade has seen great strides in both experimental and theoretical understanding of PCET, but connecting these two perspectives is often challenging. This chapter shows that the Marcus cross relation is a valuable quantitative and conceptual model for solution PCET reactions that can be described as hydrogen atom transfer (HAT), X–H+Y → X+H–Y. The cross relation holds well – in many cases within an order of magnitude – for a large number of such reactions. This includes both purely organic reactions such as those involving phenoxyl radicals or ascorbate, and reactions where the electron change occurs primarily at a transition metal center, as in reactions of iron bi-imidazoline complexes. The cross relation was derived as a corollary of the Marcus Theory of electron transfer and provides a conceptual picture and an experimental entry into intrinsic barriers and other parameters. However, the cross relation is an essentially classical model that does not take into account proton tunneling or nonadiabatic effects. In addition, PCET brings a set of issues not found in electron transfer. For instance, the substantial solvent effects found in some of these reactions derive primarily from pre-equilibrium hydrogen bonding effects rather than changes in intrinsic barriers. The strengths as well as the weaknesses and limitations of using the cross relation for PCET reactions are discussed

Transitioning to College: Experiences of Successful First-Generation College Students

This qualitative study explored the high school to college transition experiences of ten successful first-generation college students (FGCS). Participants were college seniors at an historically black university in the United States. A generic qualitative research design was used, including in-depth, semi-structured interviews to collect and analyze data. Participants reported that the transition experience led to confusion with academic and financial procedures, various emotions including anxiety and fear, the realization that they had deficits in academic skills, and the receipt of support from family members and others. Cultural and social capital appeared to play key roles in their success. Student affairs professionals are encouraged to explore targeted, individualized strategies that meet the needs of FGCS as they transition to college

Exploring the Relationships Between High School Course Enrollment, Achievement, and First-Semester College GPA

This study explored the impact of Advanced Placement and honors course enrollment and high school grade point average (GPA) on first-semester college GPA. Data were collected from 131 college freshmen enrolled at a minority-serving institution who graduated from a public school during the previous academic year. A four-step hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that family structure, college status, enrollment in one or more Advanced Placement courses, and enrollment in five or more honors courses accounted for a significant amount of variance explained in first-semester college GPA, both individually and in combination. High school GPA intervened in these variables relationships with first-semester college GPA accounting for a significant amount of variance. Based on these findings, opportunities for future research and implications for K–12 schools and colleges are provided

A Consensual Inquiry of Teachers’ Responses to Classroom Situations: Implications for School Counselors

Although often overlooked by school leaders, teacher emotions are key factors that impact classroom climate and therefore educational outcomes and student success. We use a framework grounded in rational emotive behavior therapy and social cognitive theory to explore teachers’ perceived thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in response to common classroom situations. The consensual qualitative research methodology was used to analyze data collected from 21 elementary school teachers. Findings suggest that psychosocial barriers exist among teachers who undermine effective instruction and classroom climate. Implications for school counselor practice are discussed

Breeding Season Occupancy of Long-Billed Curlews and Sandhill Cranes in Grazed Habitats at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Montana

Long-billed curlew (Numenius americanus) and sandhill crane (Grus canadensis) are species of concern at state and federal levels. The concern is largely due to declines in population resulting from loss and degradation of wetland and grassland habitats that have reduced the amount of available breeding habitat for both species. Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge (RRLNWR) in southwestern Montana encompasses one of the largest wetland complexes in the Intermountain West, providing important breeding habitat for cranes and curlews in the region. We explored landscape- and plot-scale drivers of curlew and crane breeding-season occupancy (?) in grazed grassland and wet meadow habitats at RRLNWR. Distance to palustrine emergent marsh was the best landscape-scale predictor of curlew and crane occupancy. Mean breeding season occupancy of curlews across sites was 0.68 (95% CI = 0.39–0.87) and increased with distance from emergent marsh, ranging from 0.37 (95% CI = 0.24–0.52) to 0.80 (95% CI = 0.56–0.93) as distance to emergent marsh went from 64 m to 629 m. Conversely, crane mean breeding season occupancy was 0.38 (95% CI = 0.17–0.64) and decreased as distance from emergent marsh increased, ranging from 0.58 (95% CI = 0.27–0.58) to 0.28 (95% CI = 0.11–0.56) as distance to emergent marsh went from 64 m to 629 m. Plot-scale vegetation characteristics available from a reduced data set indicated curlew occupancy was positively related to the ratio of vegetation 5–15 cm tall to vegetation >15cm (??    = 4.92, SE = 2.53)