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Kidding Around: Using Play to Enhance Students’ Well-Being and Learning
Get PDFThe perceived mental health crisis on college and university campuses worldwide has been the subject of much public discourse in the past decade. Often, the conversation gains volume after the occurrence of tragic events such as a campus shooting or mul-tiple suicides at a university and quietens between these events. Fortunately, although the tendency of these conversations is that they happen reactively in response to tragic events, many university administrations have not let the dialog cease on campus but have encouraged it in a structured manner, leading to the development of new men-tal health strategies. Many of these mental health strategies urge all members of the campus community, including librarians, to assume a role in ensuring the emotional and mental well-being of students and other staff members at the university
Saving the Stratton: The Fate of the Sheldon Jackson College Library Collection
Get PDFOn June 29, 2007, Alaska’s oldest educational institution, Sheldon Jackson College, ceased operations without notice. The closure left an uncertain future for the college’s students, faculty, staff, resources, and buildings including the Stratton Library and the over 48,000 items housed within. The Library’s collection not only contained the college’s academic collection, but it also housed two rare book col-lections, historical photos and plate glass negatives, as well as the archives documenting the school’s 128-year history. This article will track the relocation and current status of the Sheldon Jackson Col-lege archives and C.L. Andrews rare book collection
CBU_1932: A Hypothetical DNA-Binding Protein of the Q Fever Pathogen Coxiella Burnetii
Get PDFCoxiella burnetii is an obligate intracellular bacterial pathogen that resides within a lysosome-like acidic compartment of the eukaryotic host cell and may cause acute and chronic human infections. Our recent transcriptome analysis of C. burnetii demonstrated that the CBU_1932 open reading frame displayed an exceptionally high transcript level at 11,481 transcripts per million (TPM), well above average transcript quantity for remaining ORFs in the genome. Due to it’s high transcript level we hypothesize the corresponding protein may play an important role for Coxiella. Analysis of the CBU_1932 locus indicates that one of the adjacent ORFs, CBU_1933 is a hypothetical DNA binding protein. The protein encoded by CBU_1932 ORF consists of 66 amino acid residues with an unusually high percentage (42%) of residues being basic, including 20 lysines. Using BLAST algorithms we found CBU_1932 had no similarity with currently defined proteins, but has orthologues in other human intracellular pathogens such as Legionella and Chlamydia. Due to the high number of basic residues in CBU_1932, and linkage with a hypothetical DNA binding protein (CBU_1933), we hypothesize that CBU_1932 may also encode a protein involved with binding DNA or other negatively charged substrates. To address this hypothesis, we are in the process of cloning the 201-base pair CBU_1932 ORF into pMAL-c5x expression plasmid and analyzing the recombinant protein using DNA-binding protocols including electrophoretic mobility-shift assay EMSA. We are confident that characterization of this high-level transcript/highly basic protein will lead to a better understanding of the unique metabolism of Coxiella and other intracellular pathogens
Predicted Suitable Habitat Modeling for Species of Concern in Montana
Get PDFPredicted suitable habitat models can be valuable and informative tools for species management and conservation, especially for rare or infrequently documented species. For nearly ten years, the Montana Natural Heritage Program (MTNHP) has produced predicted suitable habitat models for use by agency personnel, researchers, and the general public with the goal of predicting the distribution and relative suitability of habitat for those species. These models are produced using maximum entropy modeling (Maxent), a method of inductive modeling that is robust to small sample sizes. Recent advances in automation by MTNHP using Python and templated reports have decreased the time required for model production more than tenfold, allowing for the publication of models for all terrestrial vertebrate Species of Concern (SOC). Models for SOC can now be updated whenever valuable new data become available due to the costs and time saved by automation. Simplified results for most models have been incorporated into standard environmental summary products at MTNHP in the form of potential species lists for SOC within a grid of one square mile hexagons. Models for non-Species of Concern will be developed as staff time and funding allow, but should be very affordable (e.g., circa $250 per species)
Diet and Macronutrient Optimization in Wild Ursids: Grizzly Bears Versus Black Bears
Get PDFWhen fed ad libitum, ursids can maximize mass gain by selecting mixed diets wherein protein provides 17 ± 4% of digestible energy. In the wild, this ability is likely constrained. By visiting locations of 37 individuals during 274 bear-days, we documented foods consumed by grizzly (Ursus arctos) and black bears (Ursus americanus) in Grand Teton National Park during 2004–2006. Based on published data, we estimated foods and macronutrients as percentages of daily energy intake. Using principal components and cluster analyses, we identified 14 daily diet types. Only 4 diets, accounting for 21% of days, provided optimal protein levels. Nine diets (75% of days) led to over-consumption of protein, and 1 diet (3% of days) led to under-consumption. Highest protein levels were associated with animal matter (i.e., insects, vertebrates), which accounted for 46–47% of daily energy for both species. As predicted: 1) daily diets dominated by vertebrates were positively associated with grizzly bears and protein intake was positively associated with body mass; 2) diets dominated by fruits were positively associated with black bears; and 3) mean protein was highest during spring, when high-energy foods were scarce, however it was also higher than optimal during summer and fall. Although optimal gain of body mass was constrained, bears opted for the energetically superior trade-off of consuming high-energy, high-protein foods. Given protein digestion efficiency similar to obligate carnivores, this choice likely supported mass gain, consistent with studies showing monthly increases in percent body fat among bears in this region
The Status of the Grizzly Bear in the Northern Rockies: Progress Toward Delisting?
Get PDFGrizzly bears in the Yellowstone Ecosystem have met recovery goals, are recovered, and should be delisted. Successful delisting under requirements of the Endangered Species Act requires meeting recovery goals and requires that adequate regulatory mechanisms be in place post-delisting so that the species will remain recovered. Acceptable mortality management including some level of sport hunting could be possible if science-based mortality limits to stabilize the population are carefully applied within the core management area post-delisting. Unfortunately, some agency administrators have removed necessary regulatory details about mortality management and wish to limit to limit the time period for application of the regulatory mechanisms that would be used to demonstrate recovery. The same administrators have pushed for managed population decline inside core recovery area after delisting. Managed population decline in the core recovery area is scientifically indefensible for a species like the grizzly with such a low reproductive rate. State administrators also removed any reference in the post-delisting management plan to the important fact that grizzly bears are a conservation-reliant species (Scott et al. 2010; Goble et al. 2012) and will require careful management in perpetuity. Ideologically based erosion of science and necessary regulatory mechanisms puts successful delisting at risk. Such an approach does not serve: 1) the needs of the public who have been partners with the agencies in the achievement of recovery and who desire successful delisting to obtain increased management flexibility outside core areas; or 2) the conservation of grizzly bears who need public support to remain recovered
Fire and Forage: Variability in Elk Forage on a Landscape of Wildfire and Changing Fire Management
Get PDFForest management practices can modify ungulate nutritional resources through landscape-scale processes such as prescribed fire and wildfire. The resulting availability and distribution of nutritional resources can affect ungulate survival, reproduction, and distribution. Our primary goals were to evaluate how landscapes with varying post-fire successional stages influence elk summer nutritional resources and to quantify the variability of nutritional resources associated with varying fire histories and management practices during 1900–2015. Within 3 elk population ranges located in the Bitterroot Valley, Montana, we measured elk forage quality across a range of land cover types and fire histories and developed a landscape-scale forage quality model. Based on historical wildfire and prescribed fire data, we reconstructed decadal land cover models and used our forage models to predict fire-related variations in forage quality each decade within the elk summer ranges. Forage quality was predicted to decrease with successional stage. The area burned by wildfire increased 242–1,772% during 1990–2015 as compared to 1900–1990, resulting in firerelated variations of predicted nutritional resources. The area of highest forage quality varied, increasing 31.3–48.5% in 2 ranges and decreasing 2.4% in 1 range, from 1900–1990 to 1990–2015. These results highlight the important effect of wildfire on the distribution of ungulate nutritional resources and demonstrate that ungulate nutritional resources likely vary over time with variation in fire history and management practices
The Northwest Section of the Wildlife Society and Montana: Past, Present, and Future
Get PDFAt this 2017 meeting of the Northwest Section and the Montana Chapter of The Wildlife Society, this talk will present the past, present, and potential futures of the Northwest Section as it relates to Montana and to the Parent Society. Many members today will remember the Section’s dedicated meetings and high level of professional involvement and wonder “where are we now?” For others, this talk may be their introduction to the Section and how to be involved. The Northwest Section has shared deep roots with our Montana wildlife heritage, with common leaders and common vision, since the inception of our profession. Originally composed of Montana, Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, British Columbia, and Alberta, the Section had powerful and well-attended annual meetings with themes including foundational concepts in game bird and big game population and habitat management and policy. Professionals representing an array of agencies, entities, and universities gathered to share the latest scientific findings, mentor students, and address environmental challenges. A Parent Society reorganization in the early 2000’s lead to formation of a Canadian Chapter and the Section lost connection with British Columbia and Alberta. Since that time, the Section has been through a period of reformation. With well-represented member states, an enthusiastic board, and increased dues, the Section’s vision for the future is bright. Future directions will include focus on building student chapters and bringing student conclaves to the Northwest, supporting policy stances on issues that cross state lines, and increasing communication between our member states
How Historical and Current Management Practices have Affected Milk River Riparian Habitat in Northcentral Montana
Get PDFRiparian and wetland communities support the greatest concentration of plants and animals, yet only constitute 4 percent of Montana’s land cover. Because they are more productive than surrounding uplands, they are attractive to livestock and wildlife as they provide important forms of cover and forage. For private and public land managers interested in maintaining long-term integrity and functionality of riparian and wetland communities on their lands, management strategies that accommodate on-site resource needs must be implemented. Determining habitat types and their associated community types on these sites can help identify historical impacts that have affected community type succession, and how current management strategies could be affecting the trend towards one seral stage or another. Both natural and artificial disturbances can affect community type succession, yet succession from one type to another can take several years and even decades. Thus, changes from year to year can be very subtle, and as land managers implement current management practices, they may overlook the visual cues indicating these trends, simply because these processes can be very slow. This presentation summarizes an evaluation of a riparian area located in the Milk River Valley in Northcentral Montana. An illustration of how historical impacts have affected community type succession, and how this site has been affected by a significant change in management practices that occurred over 20 years ago, is provided. Depending on what goals are desired for this site will determine if a change in current management practices is warranted
Separation Features of Fine Particle Processing in a Crossflow Separator
Get PDFA Cross Flow Separator works on the principle of hindered settling and liquid fluidization to accomplish gravity concentration of fine particulate mass. Heavier particles penetrate the fluidized suspension to settle at the bottom to be discharged as the underflow while the lighter particles remain at the top and are carried away by the upward flowing water to the overflow outlet. Influence of bed depth, feed rate and teeter water flow rate on the separation features along with the response of feed particle size was investigated with reference to a difficult fine coal (1.4 x 0.1 mm) having 33% ash. Characterization of the feed was followed by a detailed experimental program using response surface methodology. Products of each experiment were characterized to understand the separation mechanism and how various particles respond to the process conditions. The process responses were estimated in terms of mass yield, ash levels of both products and combustible recovery. The experimental data were analyzed to arrive at statistically significant correlations for the response variables. The process was optimized and under optimum conditions, clean coal with 24% ash at 63% mass yield and over 70% combustible recovery was obtained. Overall Ep was 0.34 with an effective separation density of 1.81 g/cc. It was concluded that a ratio of 10:1 between the top and the bottom sizes of the particles may be acceptable in the feed material. The importance of the flow behavior was discussed. The process features were also described phenomenologically vis-à-vis the experimental observation