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Coyote (Canis latrans) Macronutrient Consumption and Diet Relative to Seasonality and Urbanization
Full text linkDiet selection informs the health, fitness, and behavior of wild predators. Due to assumptions that vertebrate prey contains similar compositions of macronutrients (i.e., protein, carbohydrates, and lipids), whole prey items traditionally define carnivore diets. However, increasing evidence suggests that prey differ in terms of their macronutrient compositions, particularly relative to body size. Furthermore, omnivorous predators, like coyotes (Canis latrans), integrate both prey and nonprey diet items whose macronutrient compositions vary. This is particularly important in urbanized systems, which introduce or alter the distributions of prey (e.g., domestic pets) and nonprey (e.g., ornamental plants) foods in ways that contribute to carnivore diet selection and human–wildlife coexistence. We assessed the macronutrient composition of coyote diets seasonally and relative to urbanization in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area, AZ, USA. We collected coyote scats in the field and assessed their macronutrient compositions using values gathered from the literature, as well as the volumetric composition of diet items found in coyote scats. We then assessed the macronutrient composition of coyote diets in geometric space using the geometric framework of nutrition. We observed that the macronutrient composition of coyote diets was similar between moderately and less urbanized sites, particularly in the spring–summer season. However, coyote macronutrient consumption differed seasonally, with coyotes eating more nonprotein energy relative to protein energy when carbohydrate-rich mesquite (Prosopis spp.) was more available in the fall–winter. Our results suggest that the seasonal availability and macronutrient composition of foods contribute to coyote diets. Macronutrients directly translate to energy and subsequent animal physiology and behavior. Our findings therefore advance our understanding of coyote behavior, particularly in ways that support human–wildlife management in anthropogenic areas
Green Infrastructure Features and Benefits Communicated by Programs Targeting Residents in the Greater Toronto Area
Full text linkMunicipalities are increasingly adopting green infrastructure (GI) as a nature-based solution to address stormwater management, climate adaptation, and other urban environmental challenges. One of the strengths of GI is its multifunctionality, which can provide a range of social, economic and environmental benefits. For GI to reach its full potential, widespread implementation throughout a landscape is needed. As a result, GI strategies often rely on various actors, including residents, who can implement GI on their own properties and contribute to the scaling up of GI across a landscape. GI implementation that depends on residents, however, has many challenges pertaining to their limited knowledge and perceived barriers to installation. To understand how residential GI programs communicate with residents about the benefits of installing GI, we analyzed the content of 25 government and non-governmental residential GI programs’ websites in the Greater Toronto Area (Ontario, Canada). We examined how programs are defining GI, use of related terms, specific types of GI covered by each program, and the identified benefits of GI. The results indicate that there are a variety of terms and definitions used to describe GI across the programs. Municipal programs most commonly identify GI providing regulating ecosystem services, while non-municipal programs most frequently identified cultural ecosystem services. There were also differences between terminology and ecosystem services communicated between programs that have an education focus versus those directly supporting GI installation. While a variety of GI features and ecosystem services are incorporated across the 25 programs, the narrower subset of information on each individual program’s websites makes it challenging for residents to consider different GI options based on their needs and desired benefits. Municipalities and educational initiatives could address this fragmentation, listing all GI installation programs so that residents can more easily compare options and GI types that can provide specific benefits. Future research should examine if municipal programs that currently highlight regulating ecosystem services would be more appealing if they also emphasized potential cultural ecosystem services
The Ecoformative and Transformative Issues of Nature in the Schoolyard: An Exploration of the Relationship Between Everyday Experiences of Nature and Well-being at School
Full text linkIn urban areas, the implementation of schoolyard facilities (especially through the greening of these spaces) aims to promote children\u27s contact with nature to improve well-being and increase their awareness of environmental preservation. In this study, we use the prospect of schoolyard landscaping in two French schools to conduct research on pupils’ relationship with nature and well-being at school. We explore cognitive and social mechanisms that affect children\u27s perceptions and behaviour in their relationships with nature on a daily basis and in the school context, with a view toward implementing schoolyard designs.
The research aims are (i) to gain a better understanding of the perceptions and uses that shape children\u27s day-to-day interactions, (ii) to document their perceived well-being in the school environment, and (iii) to elicit pupils\u27 views on changes to the school grounds, in order to better understand the characteristics and dynamics underlying the organisation of direct and sensitive relationships with nature. The results of this study are intended to contribute to an understanding of the issues, obstacles and levers involved in implementing schoolyard development projects, and to provide input for a reflective approach to these initiatives.
The results show that children\u27s daily experiences of nature are constructed at the convergence of direct contact with the environment and the social framework that supports these interactions. These experiences foster the construction of perceptions and links with the natural environment, which reciprocally feed into further experience. The presence of nature in school grounds directly promotes pupils\u27 perceived well-being; a greater degree of experience and appreciation of nature positively influences it. We observe a lack of explicit recognition of nature\u27s contribution to well-being and examine the social and contextual reasons behind this, as well as the impact on pupils\u27 choices about schoolground planning. We then discuss the limits of urban policies based on schoolyard modifications and explore ways of including social-ecological relationships through children’s participation
Review: Who Will You Become? An Ignatian Introduction to Catholic Theology by Conor M. Kelly and Ryan G. Duns, SJ
No full textReview: Constitutions of the Society of Jesus; A Critical Edition with the Complementary Norms, ed. Barton T. Geger, SJ
No full textTrematodes Detected in an Exotic Population of Red Swamp Crayfish from an Urban Storm Drain in Los Angeles
No full textThe red swamp crayfish, Procambarus clarkii is an exotic aquatic crustacean with global prevalence. Native to the Southeastern United States, this species has been introduced for aquaculture as it is a popular food fishery resource. A well-documented host for trematodes, P. clarkii is a known vector for parasitic, fungal, and viral infections. Procambarus clarkii has demonstrated the ability to consume exotic snails such as Melanoides tuberculata as a means of controlling snail-borne infections. In this study, an isolated exotic P. clarkii specimen was collected from an urban waterway in Los Angeles, California adjacent and draining into the largest remaining wetland ecosystem in the county. Molecular assays detected the presence of four trematode species: Haplorchis pumilio, a well-known human parasite, Steganoderma eamiqtrema, Echinostoma nasincovae, and Tanganyikatrema sp. ‘elongata’ as well as two partial sequences of unidentified trematodes. Previously considered a marine parasite, this study represents the first occurrence of Steganoderma eamiqtrema from a freshwater host. Arguably, this may represent the first occurrence of Echinostoma nasincovae, and Tanganyikatrema sp. ‘elongata’ in both North America and the waters of the United States. Further, this study identifies P. clarkii as a new host for the aforementioned trematodes. The detection of these trematodes continues to support a need for ongoing monitoring and surveillance of exotic trematodes introduced into the waters of the United States. As there are increasing populations of homeless residents with close contact to these local urban waterways, the public health implications of newly discovered trematodes need to be evaluated further. Findings, while modest, are of interest to public and environmental health practitioners in the region. These findings inform the need for future sampling of P. clarkii as potential hosts for exotic trematodes on Bluff Creek
Novel Corporate Governance Structures
No full textArtificial Intelligence (“AI”) startups have taken center stage, rapidly disrupting conventional industries at an unprecedented pace with their groundbreaking innovations. Hailed by many as the most significant technological advancement of our era, AI’s profound societal impact has garnered heightened public and governmental scrutiny. The spotlight has recently fallen on OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, which weathered a tumultuous period marked by the ouster and subsequent rehiring of CEO Sam Altman, a board reconfiguration, and Altman’s later return to the board. Concerns over AI safety were offered as the rationale for the tandem corporate governance structure of nonprofit and for-profit at OpenAI which led to board friction, a management coup, and superalignment defection. Similarly, concerns over AI safety also underscore the creation of the corporate structures at Anthropic and xAI.This Article explores the innovative corporate governance models that have emerged from leading AI startups like OpenAI, Anthropic, and xAI, assessing their long-term viability as these companies race against one another in building AI foundation models. Ultimately, it proposes a path forward for improved governance in AI startups by advocating for an amendment to corporate law requiring a board-level AI Safety Committee at AI startups
How Long? How Many? How Much? Evidence of Convergent Validity Among Thin-Slice Behavioral Coding Metrics
No full textDespite the ubiquity of thin-slice coding for behavioral measurement, there exists relatively little systematic research into the convergent validity of thin-slice coding metrics for nonverbal behaviors when using human coders. This study utilized five previous datasets to measure four commonly-measured nonverbal behaviors (gaze, gestures, nods, smiles) using three different coding metrics (duration, frequency, rating) coded in 2 or 3 min slices. Convergent validity was measured by comparing a given behavior coded with at least two different metrics. Meta-analytic assessments across studies, behaviors, and metrics indicated strong convergent validity for various metrics for each behavior. Results provide confidence to researchers on the validity of using these thin-slice coding metrics for nonverbal behaviors
The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Boosting Cybersecurity and Trusted Embedded Systems Performance: A Systematic Review on Current and Future Trends
No full textAs technology becomes increasingly interconnected, ensuring the security of cyber and embedded systems is critical due to escalating vulnerabilities and sophisticated cyber threats. Researchers are exploring artificial intelligence (AI) to improve security mechanisms, yet there is a lack of a comprehensive technical, AI-focused analysis detailing the integration of AI into existing security hardware and frameworks. To address this gap, this article systematically reviews 63 articles on AI in cybersecurity and trusted embedded systems. The reviewed articles are categorized into four application domains: 1) Intrusion Detection and Prevention (IDPS), 2) Malware Detection, 3) Industrial Control and Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) and 4) Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Detection and Prevention. We investigated current trends in integrating AI into security domains by summarizing the hardware used, the AI methodologies adopted, and the statistical distribution by publication year and region. The key findings of our review indicate that AI significantly enhances security measures by enabling capabilities such as detection, classification, feature selection, data privacy preservation, model combination, data generation, output interpretation, optimization, and adaptation. In addition, the benefits and challenges identified in these studies provide insight into the future potential of AI integration in security. Suggested directions for future work include improving generalization and scalability, exploring continuous or real-time monitoring, and improving AI model performance. This analysis serves as a foundation for advancing AI applications in the effective securing of cyber and embedded systems effectively