Biodiversity Informatics
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Cloth Mask with Window as an Alternative to Opaque Mask for Students with Speech, Language, and Hearing Deficits for Infection Risk Mitigation
Get PDFIntroduction. Visualization of oral movements and facial expressions is essential for learning, development, and communication, especially among students receiving speech and language services. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of cloth masks with transparent windows as an alternative to opaque masks in mitigating the risk of droplet-transmitted infectious diseases.
Methods. Researchers measured the filtration efficiency of various medical and non-medical masks, both with and without transparent windows. A testing pipe, fitted with the selected masks, was used to deliver particulate matter (PM) at an airflow velocity mimicking human breathing. Particle size and airflow were measured using three real-time particle monitors positioned upstream and downstream of the masks. Filtration efficiency was then calculated for each of the eight masks.
Results. Mask efficiency varied based on build quality and material. Filtration efficiency for the four face masks with transparent windows ranged from 28.6% to 90%, with the single-layer mask performing the worst. All multi-layer masks with windows achieved filtration efficiencies greater than 70% for all particle sizes tested (1, 2.5, and 10 microns), exceeding that of the opaque cotton masks and approaching the filtration levels of surgical masks.
Conclusions. Given the high filtration efficiency of cloth masks with transparent windows, the authors conclude that these masks can reduce the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and other droplet-transmitted infectious diseases while also improving communication for individuals with speech, language, and/or hearing impairments.
Athletic ability, performance, and character: A hierarchical examination of prospective college athlete evaluation and the function of recruiting as institutional work
Get PDFIntercollegiate athletics recruiting is depicted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as the “lifeblood” of college sport. Given the correlation between recruiting success and winning in college football specifically, and the relationship between winning and revenue generation, NCAA member institutions place the utmost significance on football recruiting. Within the context of football recruiting as strategic institutional work, college football coaches promulgate institutionalized logics through the indoctrination of prospective college athletes. To further conceptualize institutional work and logics in the recruitment of prospective college athletes, the present study sought to examine the evaluative factors college football coaches prioritize when recruiting prospective college athletes. Semi-structured interviews with 10 football coaches at Football Bowl Subdivision member institutions during the 2023 college football season reveal the strategic emphasis placed on football ability and football character in the recruitment of prospective college athletes
Diagnostic and treatment challenges in MRI-negative myelitis associated with MOG antibody: A case report and literature review.
Get PDFBackground:
MRI negative cases of anti-MOG-seropositive longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis (LETM), optic neuritis and encephalitis have been reported in the literature. Negative MRI can lead to diagnostic uncertainties and treatment delay.
Objectives: We report a case of a patient with LETM with negative spinal MRI who tested positive for serum MOG antibody and showed continuous improvement with immunotherapy.
Conclusion: Negative spinal cord MRI in patients with clinical presentation of LETM or transverse myelitis should not preclude investigation of MOG Antibody associated disease and initiation of early empirical immunotherapy. 
Herpetofaunal inventory of the Ranga Reserve Forest, Lakhimpur, Assam, India
Get PDFThe Ranga Reserve Forest in Assam, India, is a crucial ecological enclave in the biodiverse northeasternregion. The forest’s diverse landscape, characterized by riverine and hilly terrain, offers a habitat mosaic conducive toa rich array of amphibians and reptiles. We herein present a comprehensive inventory of the herpetofauna conductedfrom March 2021 to June 2022. We encountered a total of 60 herpetofaunal species (13 amphibians and 47 reptiles:11 lizards, 34 snakes, and two turtles), including critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable, and near-threatenedspecies. Our findings highlight the Ranga Reserve Forest as a hotspot of herpetofaunal diversity, emphasizing theimportance of continued research and conservation efforts to safeguard this invaluable ecosystem
Diurnal predation on a Common House Rat (Rattus rattus) by a Spot-tailed Pitviper (Trimeresurus erythrurus) in northeastern Bangladesh
Get PDFA Flat-tailed House Gecko (Hemidactylus platyurus) preying on a Lesser Brown Scorpion (Isometrus maculatus)
Get PDFFirst report of a papilloma in an invasive Tropical House Gecko, Hemidactylus mabouia (Gekkonidae), in Cuba
Get PDFOutcrop-to-Subsurface Stratigraphic Correlations of the Upper Desmoinesian and Lower Missourian Stages (Pennsylvanian) in Eastern Kansas
Get PDFPennsylvanian (Upper Carboniferous) strata in eastern Kansas have been investigated for more than 120 years. We have determined, however, that discrepancies arising from emphases on either outcrop observations or subsurface data, as well as the loss of some key outcrops since their first descriptions, created major problems in prior stratigraphic interpretations. One particularly problematic stratigraphic interval contains the boundaries between units in the Marmaton (Desmoinesian) and Pleasanton (Missourian) groups, which encompasses the global Moscovian-Kasimovian stage boundary. We use 246 petrophysical well logs, especially gamma ray and neutron logs, to provide greater stratigraphic control among 22 previously described type outcrops, neostratotypes, and principal reference localities. Nine new stratigraphic cross sections resulting from our analysis of these data permit innovative interpretations of ancient facies belts as well as a reassessment of the geometry and structural history of the Cherokee–Forest City Basin. We make three recommendations regarding group boundaries on the basis of our analysis: 1) The boundary between the Cherokee and Marmaton groups should be placed at the base of the Excello Shale, thereby including the unit within the Marmaton Group. An unnamed limestone underlying the Excello Shale and observed in some areas should ideally be included within the Marmaton, but this unit will require further study. 2) The boundary between the Marmaton and Pleasanton groups should be placed at the base of the Nuyaka Creek Shale Member, as opposed to the standing placement at the base of the Hepler Sandstone. 3) The boundary between the Pleasanton and Kansas City groups should be maintained at the base of the Critzer Limestone Member of the Hertha Limestone. Additionally, we advocate the following changes to stratigraphic nomenclature in Kansas: 1) the Fort Scott Limestone should be revised to include the Excello Shale; 2) members of the Lenapah Limestone (the Idenbro Limestone Member, Perry Farm Shale Member, and Norfleet Limestone Member) should be abandoned because of prior miscorrelations; 3) the stratigraphic interval between the Lenapah Limestone and the Nuyaka Creek Shale Member correlates to either the Holdenville Shale or Memorial Shale—therefore, we leave this interval unnamed; and 4) with our proposal to place the lower boundary of the Pleasanton Group at the base of the Nuyaka Creek Shale Member, the lower boundary of the Lost Branch Formation should likewise be moved to that same level. The stratigraphic contexts of the Seminole, Tacket, and Shale Hill formations remain to be clarified by future work
Stopover hotspots for migratory birds in North and Central America
Get PDFDespite the large body of literature on avian migratory behavior, there is little information about stopover sites during bird movement, including the population-level drivers of breeding grounds and wintering grounds. Stopovers play an essential role in bird migratory site chains for energy supply and rest. There is an urgent need to detect and protect stopover sites to secure the long-term sustainability of migratory network connectivity and robustness. To address this challenge, we reconstructed a migration network and identified geographic hotspots denoted as stopover sites by analyzing the high-density population movements of 52 focal migratory bird species with observation data from eBird through PageRank algorithm. Furthermore, potential alternative stopover sites were explored using a word embedding technique based on geo-functional similarity. Our study was conducted in North and Central America during a three-year period and revealed three key areas, including Florida peninsula and its inland, the region of Central America, and the region near Puget Sound. Results from this study can be used for conservation prioritization guidance