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Proximate Analysis of Fish Feed
Get PDFAn aquaponic system shows evidence of increasing economic efficiency and environmental sustainability. An efficient aquaponic system is heavily dependent on the quality of aquatic life in it. In order to ensure the quality of the aquatic life, the quality of its feed must be ensured as well. This research uses proximate analysis to analyze fish feed in terms of percent moisture, fat content, crude fiber extraction and crude protein extraction and correlate these with fish body composition as well
Developing a Yeast Model of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Involving the SOD1 Gene
Get PDFAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), one of the most common neuromuscular diseases in the world, is an unremittingly progressive disease that degenerates motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. Roughly 10% of ALS cases are considered familial and can result from mutations in more than dozen different genes. The most common mutations in familial ALS occur in the SOD1 gene. SOD1 encodes a copper-zinc superoxide dismutase that detoxifies oxygen free radicals. To date, approximately 140 mutations in SOD1 (many of which are missense) have been linked to familial ALS. Evidence suggests that these mutations induce SOD1 protein misfolding and aggregation into cytotoxic structures. We are developing a yeast model of ALS based on the expression of mutant human SOD1 proteins. Such a yeast system will permit high throughput genetic screens to identify genes that enhance or suppress the toxic phenotypes associated with mutant SOD1 expression (thereby identifying critical supporting or suppressing pathways), as well as chemical screens to identify compounds that inhibit mutant SOD1 toxicit
Western States Wolverine Conservation Project Baseline Survey
Get PDFThe wolverine is a naturally uncommon species whose conservation and management requires collaboration across a large geography. Conservation priorities for wolverines in the western U.S. have been identified as 1) Connectivity, 2) Restorations, and 3) Monitoring. The Western States Wolverine Working Group is a collaborative effort among state, federal, tribal, university, and private organizations that are actively working on these priorities. One element of the conservation program is baseline survey for wolverine occupancy across the 4-states where the species currently occurs – Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and Washington. The survey uses a grid of 15 x 15 km cells. All cells >50% modelled wolverine habitat were considered for sampling, and a GRTS sample of 180 cells was selected to be surveyed using a standard protocol across the 4-state area during winter 2016-17. A single camera/DNA station was established during November 2016 in each cell and will be run through April 2017. To date, stations in all states are successfully detecting wolverines and other species. This effort will provide the first estimate of wolverine distribution across the species range in the lower 48 and an estimate of occupancy. It will also allow investigations into a variety of geneticbased questions at the population scale, including identification of current and future areas of importance for connectivity. The survey is designed so that it can be repeated as a monitoring program and can determine changes in wolverine status (stable, increasing, or decreasing distribution via occupancy), and genetic composition over time. Results will also be used to identify potential population restoration areas if there are large areas with suitable habitat that have not yet been recolonized after historical lows
Design and Synthesis of Proligand Pyridine-2,6 Dithiocarboxylic Acid and Structural Derivatives for Use in Environmental Remediation of Carbon Tetrachloride
Get PDFCarbon Tetrachloride is a carcinogenic pollutant that has contaminated groundwater beneath former grain storage and industrial sites, such as the Department of Energy’s Hanford site. Current remediation of these sites involve removal and subsequent treatment, which requires handling of the hazardous material as it is transferred to another location for final destruction. Professor Thomas Lewis has previously described the use of a small molecule (pyridine-2,6-dithiocarboxylic acid [PDTC]), that when complexed with copper has been shown to lead to complete dechlorination of pollutant carbon tetrachloride within atmospheric samples. The process results in conversion to non-toxic end-products (mostly CO2) and complete removal of the problematic carbon-chlorine bonds. Synthetic chemistry can be employed to develop a series of PDTC derivatives that could increase water solubility and allow for on-site destruction of carbon tetrachloride. The current methods described in literature for the synthesis of proligand PDTC uses or produces large quantities of toxic hydrogen sulfide gas. A modified procedure for large-scale production of PDTC, with minimal hydrogen sulfide production, was successfully developed. However, this method will not be able to be utilized for synthesizing derivatives of PDTC, which defines the need for a novel approach to the development of proligand derivatives. An elegant approach using a dilithiated addition into carbonyl sulfide is currently under investigation to produce PDTC and several derivatives that could be functionalized for use in environmental remediation of carbon tetrachloride
Extension Theory in Coarse Geometry
Get PDFLSAEs (Large Scale Absolute Extensors) were introduced by J. Dydak and the author to study the coarse geometry of metric spaces. In this talk we will discuss how this concept can be used to study extensions of proper large scale Lipschitz functions between metric spaces
The Word Problem for Hyperbolic Groups
Get PDFMax Dehn's word problem asks us the following: Given a finitely generated group in terms of generators and relations, is there an algorithmic procedure to determine if an arbitrary word represents the identity element? In this undergraduate research project, we define the notion of hyperbolicity of a metric space and present a geometric proof that all hyperbolic groups have solvable word problems
Survival and Reproduction of Wild Turkeys in the Northern Black Hills of South Dakota
Get PDFIn South Dakota, wild turkeys are a high-interest species for both consumptive and non-consumptive uses. Harvest records indicate that the population segment residing in the northern Black Hills may be declining. Although data on hen survival, nesting survival, and early poult survival were collected for the southern Black Hills in the early 2000s, there is currently a paucity of demographic data for the northern Black Hills. We seek to inform wild turkey management by characterizing demography specifically for the northern Black Hills. We radio-tracked 80 turkey hens (40 adults/40 juveniles) in 2016 to estimate rates of hen survival, nesting, nesting success, and early poult survival; this two-year study will continue in 2017. Based on preliminary data, rates of nesting by adult hens are lower in the northern Black Hills than the southern Black Hills (77.5% vs. 98%), as are rates of renesting by adult hens (33% vs. 75%). We are in the process of estimating hen survival, but preliminary results indicate that annual survival is approximately 50%. Poult survival to 4 weeks is comparable in the northern and southern Black Hills, but lower than in other portions of the range of Merriam’s wild turkey. Although the northern and southern Black Hills are in close proximity, the substantial climatic differences likely explain the reduced productivity of the turkey population in the northern Black Hills. Limiting fall harvest of wild turkey hens in the northern Black Hills may be required to sustainably manage this important game species
Better Bullets: How to Shoot Varmints Without Poisoning Scavengers
Get PDFRecreational shooters kill millions of varmints each year. The carcasses can contain fragments of lead that scavengers can ingest. Less toxic bullets may alleviate the problem but their performance needs to be determined. In this study, ground squirrels were shot with .17 HMR, .22 LR, and .223 Rem rifles with expanding and non-expanding lead and nonlead bullets. We monitored whether the bullets instantly incapacitated ground squirrels and then estimated lead concentrations in each carcass using radiographs. We found lead in the majority of ground squirrel carcasses that were shot with five out of six lead bullets tested. Expanding ammunition in the .17 HMR and the .223 Rem calibers left the highest estimated concentrations of lead in ground squirrels, which had, on average, 23.6 and 91.2 mg/carcass, respectively. Within a caliber, expanding bullets did not contaminate ground squirrels more than non-expanding bullets. Non-lead bullets incapacitated ground squirrels as well as lead bullets. Recreational shooters and land managers may reduce the amount of lead available to scavengers by using non-lead bullets when shooting ground squirrels and other varmints
Simulations Inform Design of Regional Occupancy-Based Monitoring for a Sparsely Distributed, Territorial Species
Get PDFSparsely distributed species attract management concern. Insufficient information on population trends, however, challenges conservation and funding prioritization. Occupancybased methods are cost effective and therefore attractive for broad-scale trend monitoring, but appropriate sampling design and inference depend on particulars of the study system. We employed spatially explicit simulations to inform regional occupancy-based monitoring of white-headed woodpeckers (Picoides albolvartus), a sparsely distributed, territorial species threatened by habitat decline and degradation. We incorporated basic knowledge of species ecology into population simulations to compare statistical power and trend estimation error under alternative scenarios. Sampling effort needed to achieve adequate power to observe a long-term population trend (? 80% chance to observe a 2% yearly decline over 20 years) consisted of annually monitoring ? 120 transects using the single-survey approach or ? 90 transects using a repeat-survey approach. The single-survey approach, which employs occupancy as an index of abundance and requires auxiliary information to account for detectability, provided more power for a given level of sampling effort than repeat-survey approaches. Alternate allocation schemes improved statistical power and trend estimates over the baseline (surveying 10 points within all transects annually), including surveying a subset (33%) of transects each year (i.e., a panel design) and surveying fewer points per transect in exchange for a larger spatial sample. Considering this case study, single-survey methods (with separate evaluation of detectability), panel designs, and aligning sampling resolution with home range size could likely benefit broad-scale occupancy-based monitoring of other sparsely distributed and mobile species
Tracking New Species: An Update on Satellite Telemetry Data from Raptors Captured on the MPG Ranch
Get PDFWe have studied the fall migration of raptors at the MPG Ranch near Florence, Montana, since 2011. Our banding efforts during this period have yielded modest totals, but impressive species diversity, with a relatively high proportion of Red-tailed Hawks and large falcons. After several successful years outfitting Golden Eagles and Ospreys with satellite transmitters, we decided to expand these efforts to other species. To date, we have outfitted 8 Red-tailed Hawks, 4 Cooper’s Hawks, 3 Peregrine Falcons and 1 Prairie Falcon with satellite transmitters captured on the MPG Ranch during fall migration. We will share what we’ve learned from these individuals and give a telemetry update on our Osprey study