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Effects of Three Swim Strokes Over 25 Yards in Labor-Wear with a Personal Flotation Device
Get PDFWe determined how three different swim strokes (breast, back, and American crawl) were affected by standard labor-wear while wearing a personal flotation device (PFD) over 22.8 meters (25 yards). The main research questions were, (1) which stroke would yield the fastest times over 22.8 meters and (2) Would there be a difference in the swim times between male and female subjects? We addressed these questions with three hypotheses addressing whether or not there would be a statistically significant difference among the three strokes, and whether or not gender would have an effect on performance of the different strokes. The mean 22.8-m elementary back stroke swim time for all subjects (n = 51) was 59.98 sec; for the breast stroke it was 46.05 sec and for the crawl stroke it was 46.48 sec. An ANOVA generated a P-value of less than .0001. Thus, we rejected null hypothesis 1 in favor of research hypothesis 1 at a significance level of 0.05. There was a difference in swim times over 22.8-m for each stroke for all subjects, with breast stroke being the fastest and the elementary back stroke being the slowest. The mean 22.8-m elementary back stroke swim time for male subjects (n = 26) was 51.04 sec; for the breast stroke it was 41.41 sec and for the crawl stroke it was 34.73 sec. An ANOVA generated a P-value of less than .0001. Thus, we rejected null hypothesis 2 in favor of research hypothesis 2 at a significance level of 0.05. There was a difference in swim times over 22.8-m for each stroke, with the crawl stroke being the fastest and the elementary back stroke being the slowest. The mean 22.8-m elementary back stroke swim time for female subjects (n = 25) was 69.28 sec; for the breast stroke it was 50.87 sec and for the crawl stroke it was 58.71 sec. An ANOVA generated a P-value of .001. Thus, we rejected null hypothesis 3 in favor of research hypothesis 3 at a significance level of 0.05. There was a difference in swim times over 22.8-m for each stroke, with the breast stroke being the fastest and the elementary back stroke being the slowest
Assessing Integrated Carnivore-Ungulate Management in the Bitterroot Valley
Get PDFWhether increasing large carnivore harvest can increase ungulate populations is uncertain for several reasons. One primary ecological uncertainty is whether carnivores limit ungulate population dynamics. A second results from partial controllability of large carnivore populations; whether large carnivore hunting seasons will reduce carnivores to the extent that ungulates increase. We first review cases of ‘integrated carnivore-ungulate’ management from western North America, highlighting where key uncertainties were addressed. Then, using the Bitterroot valley of MT as a case study, we present results from a research project designed to provide quantitative measurements of (1) elk population dynamics and limiting factors, (2) mountain lion densities, (3) the effect of harvest on mountain lion densities under a management plan designed to differentially affect lion density across western Montana, and (4) the ultimate effect of changes in mountain lion seasons on elk population dynamics. During the first phase of research, mountain lions caused 6-8 times more mortality than wolves, limiting elk populations via calf survival and recruitment. We estimated mountain lion densities in the Bitterroot and Granite County to help address scientific uncertainty, the effect of lion hunting on lion densities and ultimately elk recruitment and populations. In 2016, following implementation of 4 years of mountain lion seasons intended to reduce lion density in the Bitterroot and stabilize lion density in Granite county, we plan to return to the Bitterroot to monitor both lion and ungulate populations to quantify the effects of this integrated carnivore-elk management strategy. This research will provide objective information to inform public decision-making processes about carnivore and elk management, but it cannot provide direction regarding what strategy for carnivore or elk management should be pursued. Balancing the input and desires of divergent stakeholders is perhaps the most challenging facet surrounding integrated carnivore-elk management
An Investigation of the Common Loon on Spencer Lake and Blanchard Lake, Montana: Identifying Populations of Banded and Non-Banded Birds of the Common Loon
Get PDFCommon Loon (Gavia immer) studies were conducted between May and August, 2014 at known loon territories in the Whitefish, Montana area. Data were collected on nesting pairs at Spencer Lake and Blanchard Lake, both of which are a few miles of Whitefish. Loon pairs were observed and behaviors recorded as well as leg-band identifications, foraging habits, territorial behaviors, chick stages, and nesting success. The study covered 46 hours of observational study. Based on prior data provided by the Montana Common Loon Working Group and the Flathead National Forest Service, it is possible to identify pairs that are returning to the same locations and remaining with the same breeding pair. This summer research provided valuable data including identification of nesting pairs on both Blanchard and Spencer Lake, adult band data from both of these lakes, and both lakes had chick hatch dates allowing for a comparison between both lakes of study noting their differences as possible causes for differing nest success and hatch dates between Spencer Lake and Blanchard Lake
DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF LARGE SCALE DATA COLLECTION FOR EYES FREE TEXT ENTRY
Get PDFEntering text on a touchscreen is challenging when users are unable to receive visual feedback due to their situation or disability. We are working on a recognition-based approach that attempts to infer the user’s intended text from a sequence of noisy tap data. We need to gather large amounts of such eyes-free data to develop and test our recognizer. We first interviewed users in the low vision and blind community to explore the best ways to engage users in our data collection effort. With the information gathered in the interviews, we are developing a cross-platform data collection interface that will enable us to reach a large population of users who are visually-impaired. We will describe our current progress in the development of our eyes-free data collector
LATE SUMMER-EARLY FALL PHOTOSYNTHESIS IN COTTONWOOD
Get PDFPhotosynthesis was investigated during late summer and early fall in a population of mature cottonwood (Populus deltoides) trees growing on the campus of MSU-Billings in southcentral Montana. Parameters related to photosynthesis were measured in situ with a Licor 6400XT Photosynthesis system. A diurnal fluctuation in assimilation was observed with a peak value of 17.0 uM m-2 s-1 CO2 fixed during mid-day. We examined the capacity for assimilation at a PAR of 4000 uM m-2 s-1 (approx. 200% full sunlight) and observed assimilation values as high as 17.6 uM CO2 m-2 s-1 with no indication of photoinhibition. P.deltoides also responded to high ambient CO2 (1600 umol M-1) where assimilation increased to 31.5 umol CO2 m-2 s-1 under 1000 uM m-2 s-1 PAR. We used an ACi curve fitting utility to obtain values of 104 mmol m-2 s-1, 117 mmol m-2 s-1 and 8.6 mmol m-2 s-1 for rubisco Vcmax, electron flow rate and triose phosphate utilization, respectively. Transpiration was 0.1-6.1 mmol m-2 s-1 and correlated with assimilation. Assimilation declined 37% from the earliest measurements on 23Sep to those taken on 15Oct. We conclude that photosynthesis continues in leaves of P.deltoides well into autumn despite shorter days and cooler temperatures, but with an adaptive response resulting in less CO2 fixation. Leaves can photosynthetically fix carbon, presumably stored as reserve carbohydrates well into late fall before the onset of autumnal leaf senescence
IDENTIFICATION OF POTENTIAL TARGETS OF THE GRR1P SCF UBIQUITIN LIGASE IN FUNGI
Get PDFThe opportunistic human pathogen Candida albicans causes both superficial and life-threatening systemic infections and is a leading cause of fungal disease in immunocompromised individuals. C. albicans can grow in different cell shapes, or morphologies, including yeast-like cells and a variety of filamentous forms, such as true hyphae and pseudohyphae. Yeast, hyphae and pseudohyphae have been observed at the sites of Candida infection and there is strong evidence that morphogenesis, the transition between yeast and filamentous growth forms, is essential for virulence. Several studies have implicated ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis in the regulation of morphogenesis, yet the mechanism by which this pathway does so is largely unknown. Previously, we have shown that deletion of the GRR1 gene results in the constitutive formation of filamentous growth forms. The Grr1 protein is a component of an SCF ubiquitin ligase system that selectively targets proteins for degradation. Thus, the loss of Grr1-mediated proteolysis presumably leads to the aberrant accumulation, and inappropriate activity, of a protein or proteins that induce filamentous growth. The spectrum of proteins targeted for degradation by Grr1 is not known. The goal of this project is to identify Grr1 targets in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, an experimentally tractable model system for pathogenic fungi. We are using a novel proteomics-based approach to isolate and characterize proteins that are ubiquitinated in a Grr1-dependent fashion. The successful identification of Grr1p targets will be important for developing a working model of the pathways involved in the yeast to filamentous growth transition in pathogenic fungi
Montana Peregrine Falcon Survey: 2014
Get PDFThe release of 617 captive-bred young during the 1980’s and 1990’s sparked the recovery of the Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) in Montana. By 1994, a mix of state, federal, and private biologists (Montana Peregrine Falcon Working Group) documented 13 known active Peregrine Falcon territories. For the following four years, the number of known territories averaged about 16, but then intensive survey efforts in 1999 documented a total of 28 territories. The number of active Peregrine Falcon territories discovered in Montana has increased yearly. Montana had a record number of 108 active Peregrine Falcon territories recorded during the 2012 field season. By the end of the 2014 field season, we have recorded 166 active Peregrine Falcon territories. Montana Peregrine Falcon surveys are conducted in conjunction with the USFWS national surveys scheduled every three years, beginning in 2002 and ending in 2015. Annual survey objectives include the establishment of a citizens group (Project Peregrine Watch) to monitor individual Peregrine territories throughout the state, determine status and trends of Montana’s Peregrine Falcon population, study all known historic Peregrine Falcon eyries, record occupancy and productivity at all active territories, locate new Peregrine Falcon territories, seek confirm and consolidate information from all public and private sources, record activity and locations of neighboring cliff-nesting raptors Prairie Falcon (Falco mexicanus), Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), and the Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), and develop , a long-term and cost-effective monitoring program for determining annual status and population trends of the State’s Peregrine Falcon population
Towards Proactive Wildlife Health – Global Insights on Conservation from the Wildlife Conservations Society’s Wildlife Health & Health Policy Program
Get PDFThe Wildlife Conservation Society’s Wildlife Health & Health Policy Program, thefirst of its kind, evolved from the Field Veterinary Program begun in 1989. We work at the interface of wildlife health, domestic animal health, and human health and livelihoods, all as underpinned by the state of environmental stewardship. It is at this interface where the opportunities for infectious disease spread, environmental pollution and other disruptions to critical ecosystems are greatest, and where proactive approaches to ecosystem health can optimize benefits for all. Our program has grown to address important conservation issues impacting landscapes, seascapes and species around the world, including those related to Ebola virus disease, avian influenza, foot and mouth disease as it relates to cross-sectoral land-use planning, lead poisoning up food chains, canine distemper in Amur tigers, emerging zoonotic disease threats to human health, and policy-relevant quantification of relationships between environmental degradation and impacts on public health. As we try to work 'upstream' to address health-related challenges that limit conservation success, our toolbox includes research, training, education and outreach, the creation of enabling environments for addressing intersectoral conflicts, and sociopolitical engagement at a range of scales
Survival and Recruitment of Gray Wolf Pups Before and after Harvest
Get PDFKnowledge about recruitment in a population can be critical when making conservation decisions, particularly for harvested species. Harvest can affect population demography in complex ways and this may be particularly true for species whose successful reproduction is linked with complex social dynamics. We used noninvasive genetic sampling and a natural experiment to estimate recruitment in gray wolves (Canis lupus) before and after harvest in the northern Rocky Mountains, Idaho USA (2008-2013). We hypothesized that recruitment would decline after hunting and trapping began and that the decline in recruitment would be attributable to the harvest of pups and not subtler mechanisms associated with group dynamics and reduced reproductive success. We collected fecal samples from wolves in 10 packs for 6 consecutive years, extracted DNA, and genotyped 154 individual pups across 18 microsatellite loci. Population harvest rates averaged 23.8% (SD = 9.2). Our hypothesis that recruitment would decline was supported; survival from 3 – 15 months of age decreased from 0.60 (95% CI: 0.48-0.72) without harvest to 0.38 (95% CI: 0.28-0.48) with harvest and recruitment declined from 3.2 (95% CI: 2.1-4.3) to 1.6 (95% CI: 1.1-2.1) pups per pack after harvest was initiated. We attributed just 18-38% of pup mortality directly to harvest and suggest that there are indirect effects of harvest on recruitment that may be associated with changes in group size and structure. Models that do not include both direct and indirect effects of harvest on recruitment may underestimate the potential impact of harvest on population growth in social species
Effects of Oil and Gas Development on Mule Deer Populations in Western North Dakota and Eastern Montana
Get PDFOil and gas production are becoming a significant part of the economy and landscape of western North Dakota and eastern Montana. Much of the areas being developed overlap with mule deer ranges. Our ongoing research aims to identify and quantify the direct and indirect effects of oil and gas energy development on mule deer abundance, survival, recruitment, movements and resource selection. Since February, 2013, we have deployed 240 GPS collars in three main areas of breaks habitat: 1) in North Dakota along the Little Missouri River; 2) the east side of the Yellowstone River; and 3) just south of Culbertson, MT. These collars are being used to collect spatial data about mule deer distributions and monitor survival across areas of low, medium, high energy development. We will also use digitized aerial survey data to estimate abundance and recruitment across various levels of development. To date we have collared 99 adult females and 110 fawns, gathering more than 300,000 deer locations, conducted 39 lab necropsies on full and partial carcasses, and conducted biannual aerial surveys in North Dakota (2 years) and Montana (1 year). Our research will address potential impacts to mule deer populations, but will also provide mitigation strategies to help minimize disturbances from further development