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Predicting species assemblages at wildlife crossing structures using multivariate regression of principal coordinates
No full textWildlife populations are in decline due to human threats, including highways. Strategies for reducing road impacts on wildlife include wildlife fencing which keep animals off roads and wildlife crossing structures (WCSs) which provide safe passage across roads. Wildlife crossing structures are diverse and transportation managers are often interested in identifying which WCS designs are effective for target species so a model that predicts target species usage of WCSs is likely to be beneficial to managers and biologists. Wildlife crossing structures are typically built for select species but are utilized by other species, so it may be beneficial to examine WCS use at the community level. We used camera trap data to develop a predictive model of mammal community composition at WCSs built for ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) to predict total detections, successful crossings, and failed crossings using spatial, temporal, structural, environmental, and anthropogenic characteristics. During the first-year after construction of WCSs, structural and anthropogenic characteristics of the WCSs were more important than the environmental characteristics although we expect environmental characteristics to become more important with time. Our models reasonably predicted total detections but were less effective at predicting successful and failed crossings, likely due to potential finer-scale, more dynamic effects like noise or microclimate conditions that may drive an animal’s decision to use a WCS. While our study focused on WCSs built for ocelots, to our knowledge, our model is the first model of WCS effectiveness for mammal communities and provide a generalized framework for predicting WCS use which can be applied anywhere where WCSs are being built
Effective Practices in Working With Academic Coaches
No full textAs online education grows, instructional teams with academic coaches have become increasingly valuable in higher education. Coaches play crucial roles in fostering student engagement, supporting active learning, and delivering timely feedback, particularly in large online courses. Recent mixed-method research examined effective coach integration into online instructional teams by analyzing faculty characteristics, behaviors, preferences, attitudes, and knowledge. The study identified successful strategies and best practices for faculty-coach collaboration, providing actionable insights for instructors. This research expands our understanding of how team-based approaches can enhance educational quality in virtual environments, contributing meaningfully to ongoing discussions about online teaching effectiveness and the strategic deployment of academic coaches. The findings suggest that academic coach integration creates more responsive learning environments while distributing instructional responsibilities to maximize student support and outcomes in the online educational environment
Species sorting and spatial effects in hyporheic invertebrate functional groups
No full textInvertebrate communities in the hyporheic zone are structured by metacommunity processes including environmental filtering and spatial effects (e.g., dispersal). We investigated how these processes differentially influence two functional groups: groundwater-obligate invertebrates (stygobionts) and benthic insects. We predicted that environmental filtering would dominate for insects, while spatial effects would prevail for stygobionts. We collected 76 samples from 28 hyporheic sites along 109 km of the Rio Grande, Texas, USA, enumerating 54,508 individuals across 80 taxa. Concordance analysis and RDA revealed two communities: one dominated by insects, and another by crustaceans and soft-bodied organisms, including all stygobionts. In linear models, insect richness and abundance were influenced by temperature, alkalinity, oxygen, and pH. Stygobionts were associated with higher nitrate, higher temperature, and lower specific conductance (indicating groundwater discharge in the study area). Stygobiont presence, richness, and abundance increased near springs. Stygobiont communities exhibited spatial autocorrelation while insect communities did not. Insect responses to environmental variables suggest species sorting effects, which prevail for taxa with sufficient dispersal ability. Stygobiont responses to spatial variables suggest limited dispersal from source populations in adjacent aquifers. Dispersal ability may limit stygobionts’ ability to recolonize habitats after hydrologic disturbances, especially when connection with adjacent aquifers is lost
Causal predictive modeling of survival of lung and bronchus cancer patients diagnosed during 2010–2011 in Texas
No full textBackground: Lung and Bronchus cancer is the most fatal type of cancer in the United States. According to the American Cancer Society, there were more than 127,000 deaths from lung cancer in 2023. Lung cancer care cost 23.8 billion dollars in 2020. In Texas, only 22.8% of lung cancer patients survived 5 years or more past diagnosis based on 2012-2018 data.
Aim: This study evaluates the survival length of lung and bronchus cancer patients in Texas using advanced statistical and machine learning methods applied to an 11-year cohort study from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program. It also quantifies the causal effect of early (localized) versus late (distant) stage at diagnosis on survival time of those patients. Additionally, it explores the influence of demographic and available clinical factors to assess disparities in survival across different groups.
Methodology: We performed classical survival analyses, followed by causal survival analysis to study the average years lost among different patient groups. Additionally, we performed survival random forest and survival neural network modeling. Finally, we conducted causal inference and causal survival random forest to estimate and predict the average treatment effect of early-stage diagnosis on lung cancer patient survival.
Results: Stage and age are the two most important factors in predicting the survival of patients with lung and bronchus cancer. Lung cancer patients diagnosed with the regional stage have about twice the risk of dying as those in the localized stage at any time, and this risk increases as the stage advances. We also find that the average extended lifetime of the localized stage group was about 4 years compared to survivors diagnosed with the distant stage. It can also extend the probability of survival by up to 50%.
Conclusion: Our study underscores the need for early screening, diagnosis and improving equity in lung cancer patients care, which could lead to improved outcomes and reduced mortality in this high-risk population.
Impact: Understanding lung and bronchus cancer survival using advanced causal inference and predictive modeling techniques, highlights the critical importance of early-stage diagnosis, showing that patients diagnosed at localized stages have a substantially higher survival probability. This research underscores the necessity of promoting early screening and equitable cancer care to improve survival rates and healthcare outcomes for lung and bronchus cancer patients
Current Practices in Implementing the Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstone Needs Assessment: A National Survey
No full textEntry-level occupational therapy doctorate (OTD) programs navigate curricular decisions related to designing, implementing, and refining doctoral capstone processes. One of the complex requirements is the doctoral capstone needs assessment (DCNA) which each student completes prior to the implementation of the doctoral capstone project. The researchers aimed to contribute to the specificity of DCNA-related understanding, informing quality decision-making, via a national, cross-sectional survey of current DCNA practices. Purposive sampling resulted in a 24.3% (n=54) response rate of mostly Doctoral Capstone Coordinators (DCCs; 98.1%) representing programs across doctoral capstone experience levels. The timing of DCNA processes trended toward the latter half of their curriculums (~85%). Analysis indicated this timing of the DCNA was one of the most prominent challenges (n=39; 72.2%). The DCNA methods most commonly used were literature review of population needs (n=52; 96.3%), interview of a capstone site informant (n=45; 83.3%), and strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis (n=36; 66.7%) with programs qualitatively either leaning toward primarily literature-based or site-specific approaches depending on various contextual factors. Respondents offered a number of DCNA strategies (M=7.96) for their students to use in order to facilitate flexible planning. Most respondents indicated that DCNA findings were reported via a written narrative (n=45; 83.3%) and/or a presentation (n=34; 63.0%). Constructive operational processes followed the themes of community engagement, scaffolding, and a step-wise approach. The current DCNA practices identified within this study are considered an essential step toward establishing best practices and structured tools that will aid DCCs in the development and quality enhancement of DCNA-related curricular components
Child Maltreatment and Recidivism: Do Maltreatment Patterns Influence General and Violent Reoffending?
No full textThis study examined whether patterns of maltreatment predicted reoffending among 5,194 justice-involved youth (JIY) from a large Texas juvenile probation department. Using latent class analysis on five maltreatment types (physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, and exposure to domestic violence), we empirically identified three classes: “Poly-victimization” (17.8%; high across all types), “Psychological Maltreatment” (15.3%; high emotional abuse and neglect), and “Low Maltreatment” (66.9%; low/moderate across types). JIY in the “Poly-victimization” and “Psychological Maltreatment” classes were more likely to engage in general and violent reoffending within 1 year controlling for covariates. These findings highlight the varying importance of different maltreatment patterns and underscore the need to prioritize interventions for JIY with complex maltreatment histories in order to reduce future offending
From molecules to models: A holistic review of autism spectrum disorder mechanisms and research tools
No full textAutism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition characterized by persistent deficits in social communication and interaction, as well as restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. These features are associated with atypical early brain development and connectivity. While ASD has been traditionally associated with molecular genetic alterations, recent research highlights the significant contribution of various environmental factors to the pathophysiology of the disorder. Pathogenic genetic variations in key regulatory genes remain central to ASD risk; however, environmental influences such as advanced maternal or paternal age, poor maternal health during pregnancy, gestational diabetes mellitus, alterations in the early-life gut microbiome, and other perinatal or early childhood environmental exposures have all been associated with an increased likelihood of developing ASD. This review synthesizes recent advances in our understanding of ASD by providing a comprehensive analysis of the disorder\u27s diverse pathophysiological mechanisms from multiple perspectives. Specifically, this paper discusses neurophysiological, behavioral, and post-mortem findings, and explores the utility of widely used animal models in ASD research. Particular attention is given to dysregulation of key metabolic pathways and the role of the gut-brain axis in ASD. The review also evaluates both established and emerging pharmacotherapeutic approaches, highlighting significant cellular, histological, and behavioral alterations associated with ASD. Collectively, these insights provide a foundation for developing novel tools to understand the molecular pathways of these genes and its implication of novel therapeutic opportunities for individuals with ASD
The Housing Choice Voucher Program: An Analysis of Its Demand and Supply (Challenges and Opportunities) and the Way Forward
No full textIn the United States, the Housing Choice Voucher Program, formerly known as Section 8, was created in 1974 to provide affordable housing for low-income families. However, recent research suggests that inaccessibility to homes for low-income groups remains high. This research aims to contribute to the existing literature by examining recent trends of the Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCVP) in providing housing affordability for low-income families.
The study used a sample of 30 U.S. states covering fifteen years (2009-2023). It relied on data from the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) department and other secondary sources. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study examines housing affordability, including the demand and supply of vouchers and stakeholder perspectives. Key findings reveal that while voucher demand significantly exceeds supply, limited funding, bureaucratic inefficiencies, and discriminatory practices hinder effective utilization. The study concludes with recommendations to enhance the demand and supply of vouchers/housing units within the program
The Relationship Between Perceived Transactional Distance, Cultural Values, and Online Instruction Among Higher Education Students: A Quantitative Analysis
No full textThis quantitative survey research study examines potential correlations and influences on the learning of students enrolled in online classes at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). The study specifically investigates whether transactional distance (TD) as conceptualized in Michael G. Moore’s Transactional Distance Theory (TDT), and cultural values such as power distance (PD), uncertainty avoidance (UA), and collectivism (CO) as defined in Geert Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory, are associated with, and impact the learning experiences of online students. The analysis primarily centers on students’ perceived transactional distance and their self-reported cultural orientations
Assessing Illegal Take of Sea Turtle in Bocas del Toro, Panamanian Caribbean
No full textIn Bocas del Toro, Panama, sea turtles were exploited for generations to supply local, national, and international markets. Today, sea turtle species are globally protected by different laws, and Panama is no exception. However, the use of sea turtles in Bocas del Toro and local perceptions regarding the consumption of these reptiles are unknown. Accordingly, during May of 2024, I conducted twenty-five semi-structured interviews with key informants selected by targeted and snowball sampling. Sea turtle consumption persists, and there is a clandestine network to sell turtle meat and derived products in Bocas del Toro. This study provides the first assessment of local perceptions of sea turtle consumption and trade distribution in Bocas del Toro and regional insights into illegal take