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Oregon State Rank Assessment for Maritime Goldfields (Lasthenia maritima)
Get PDFOregon state conservation status assessment for maritime goldfields (Lasthenia maritima) using NatureServe methodology, 2025
Accelerated Human-Induced Extinction Crisis in the World\u27s Freshwater Mammals
Get PDFHuman activities have significantly impacted natural habitats and wildlife worldwide, particularly emphasizing repercussions for freshwater habitats and associated species. These negative impacts on freshwater fish are well known, but for mammal species that regularly use and dependend on freshwater systems, there is an incomplete understanding. Here, we assessed the status of freshwater and semi-aquatic mammal species inhabiting and dependent on freshwater ecosystems (hereafter referred to as freshwater mammals) and evaluated the impact of human activities on species richness both globally and by biogeographical regions. We used structural equation modeling and simultaneous autoregressive models to assess the direct and indirect effects of seven anthropogenic-related variables on overall freshwater mammal richness. Specifically, we examined the effects of anthropogenic disturbance on the richness of threatened and non-threatened species, as well as species with decreasing and stable/increasing populations. Forty-three percent of all freshwater mammal species are classified as globally threatened by the IUCN Red List, with 50% experiencing population declines. Furthermore, 48% are affected by domestic or international trade, while 75% face threats from geographically expanding human activities. Aridity, pesticide pollution, human footprint, and croplands had the strongest negative effects on freshwater mammal richness. In contrast, the coverage of freshwater habitats (FWs), Indigenous Peoples\u27 lands (IPLs), and protected areas (PAs) helped to sustain freshwater mammal species globally, with an even stronger positive effect at individual biogeographical regions. We conclude that FWs, IPLs, and PAs play a critical role in the conservation of freshwater mammal species, helping safeguard these species from extinction, however, freshwater ecosystems are seldom the focal point of conservation management strategies. The ongoing adverse anthropogenic impacts on these natural habitats present a potentially catastrophic and irreversible threat to global freshwater environments and the species, including humans, reliant upon them. We strongly advocate for the implementation of more robust national and international policy frameworks that endorse alternative and sustainable livelihoods. Such frameworks can play a crucial role in alleviating anthropogenic pressures, thereby aiding in the mitigation of the extinction risk faced by these vital ecosystems and the world\u27s freshwater mammal species
Life History, Reproductive, and Demographic Parameters for Bottlenose Dolphins (tursiops Truncatus) in Sarasota Bay, Florida
Get PDFStudies of the resident community of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) of Sarasota Bay, Florida, have been conducted for more than 50 years. Detailed histories have been collected for resident individuals through integrated observations, systematic photographic identification surveys, tagging and tracking, catch-and-release health assessments, remote biopsy sampling, and stranding response. This has produced a unique dataset documenting life history milestones and vital rates of a small cetacean. Analyses of data from 482 resident Sarasota Bay dolphins have revealed estimated maximum life spans of 67 years for females and 52 years for males. For females, predicted age at sexual maturation is 8.5 years, with a predicted age at first reproduction of 9.6 years. Females were observed to give birth when 6-48 years of age, and have been documented with as many as 12 calves, with 45% observed post-separation. Ten percent of females were considered to be reproductively senescent, having gone \u3e13 years without producing a calf. For males, predicted age at sexual maturation is 10 years. Males 10-43 years old sired calves, producing up to 7 calves each. The average calving interval was 3.5 years, albeit with effects due to mother’s age, birth order, and calf survival. Seasonal reproduction was evident, with 81% of births occurring during May-July. Mean annual birth rate was 0.071. Mean annual fecundity was 0.182 births/adult female (defined as females 6 yrs or older). Recruitment rate through reproduction was estimated to be 0.050 based on calves surviving their first year. Immigration was infrequent, with an estimated annual rate of 0.003-0.013. Estimated mean annual maximum loss rate, from mortality, emigration, and changed identification characteristics, was 0.072. Periods of increased loss rates were related to environmental events, and factors that may be important to long-term population resilience were suggested
Understanding Anionic Hyperporphyrins: TDDFT Calculations on Peripherally Deprotonated \u3ci\u3eMeso\u3c/i\u3e-Tetrakis(4-Hydroxyphenyl)porphyrin.
Get PDFPresented herein is a DFT/TDDFT study of -tetrakis(4-hydroxyphenyl)porphyrin (H[THPP]) and its Meso-deprotonated tetraanionic form; the latter was modeled as both a free tetraanion and with various counterions. Based on our calculations, the experimentally observed hyperporphyrin spectra are attributed to an admixture of phenol/phenoxide character into the a-type HOMO of tetraphenylporphyrin. The admixture results in an elevation of the orbital energy of the HOMO in relation to other frontier orbitals, which accounts for the observed spectral redshifts. The calculations underscore differences in the performance of different exchange-correlation functionals. Thus, while the popular hybrid functional B3LYP greatly exaggerates the redshift of the far-red hyperporphyrin band of -deprotonated H[THPP], the range-separated functional CAMY-B3LYP predicts a more moderate redshift. The latter, however, fails to reproduce experimentally observed absorptions in the 550-600 nm range, potentially underscoring the still imperfect modeling of anionic hyperporphyrins
Where Will My Family Go? The Financial, Housing, and Health Challenges of Families Facing Eviction
Get PDFTo better understand how eviction affects families with children, the Evicted in Oregon team conducted focus groups with 74 tenants from Baker, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Multnomah, and Washington counties in Oregon. During focus group discussions, we asked participants whether they had children in the household at the time of eviction and how it impacted them. Parents reported that their children’s well-being was their main concern during the eviction process. They also described how eviction led to disruptions in their children’s education, health and medical treatments, and living arrangements. Based on our findings, we provide a set of policy and program recommendations that could prevent eviction and support families facing eviction, including long-term rental assistance, expanding access to and awareness of existing resources, and tenant advocacy. A secure and stable housing environment is essential for healthy children\u27s development; therefore, state and local agencies should continue to invest in programs that help people remain in their homes
I\u27ll Just Say It\u27s Been a Racist Process : The Power Dynamics Within and Outside Diversity Requirement Classrooms at a Minority-Serving Institution
Get PDFU.S. higher educational institutions have increasingly implemented diversity requirements; however, institutional power dynamics during the implementation process and in a classroom after the implementation should be more highlighted. This study aims to understand the implementation of a diversity requirement during the implementation process and faculty and student experiences within required diversity courses at Portland State University (PSU) by analyzing one-on-one semi-structured interviews. PSU is a minority-serving educational institution that implemented a diversity requirement, the Race and Ethnic Studies Requirement (RESR), in Fall 2022. These data are analyzed through Critical Race Theory (CRT) lenses--introducing Okun\u27s (2021) white supremacy culture in an institution. This study aims to answer three research questions: 1) How do the RESR faculty committee members describe the experiences of the RESR implementation process at PSU? 2) How do faculty members describe the experience of teaching RESR-designated courses at PSU? 3) What are students\u27 experiences of taking RESR-designated courses at PSU?
The findings of this study indicate a lack of institutional support for the RESR committee members during the implementation process and for faculty members after the implementation. During the implementation process, the institution and the decision-making bodies within the university operated in ways that reflected a variety of characteristics of white supremacy culture, which generated challenges for the RESR committee members, particularly individual faculty of color. Within the RESR classroom, although faculty and students mostly enjoy enriched classroom discussions and learnings due to the increased student diversity after the RESR, faculty of color reported feeling much more vulnerable to student resistance, and a lack of institutional support for the RESR program created further challenges, which suggests the institution\u27s WSC attitudes remains after the implementation. By focusing on structural forces and institutional dynamics within and outside required diversity classrooms, this study highlights the need for institutional support to create diversity requirements without exploiting faculty of color and provides recommendations for the sustainability of diversity requirements more broadly
Vulnerability and Injustice: Visualizing Environmental Health Impacts
No full textJustice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion or JEDI is the latest catch-all acronym which denotes commitment to dismantling systemic racism in American society. Justice is the ethical, philosophical idea that people are to be treated impartially, fairly, properly and reasonably by the law and the arbiters of the law. Sadly, this noble concept falls short in actual practice with measurable consequences in both our built and natural environments.
Restoration is defined as the act of returning something to its former condition that often aspires to rehabilitate beyond the original circumstances due to improved knowledge, science and technology. A closer examination of the actual practice of restoration reveals an unequal distribution of these ambitions, however. This begs the question of how, exactly, are restoration sites chosen? Who chooses them, under what circumstances and using which parameters? Are local communities consulted throughout the process? Further, are these citizens informed and empowered enough to serve as active participants?
The very existence of the Kellogg Dam in Downtown Milwaukie, OR is an epitomizing example illuminating the inherent inequalities of our built environment and most environmental improvement projects. The Kellogg Dam Removal Project provides a model of both the importance and relevance of including environmental justice in restoration project
Shock Effects Including Maskelynite Formation in Three Shergottite Meteorites From Mars
Get PDFMartian meteorites result from large impact events on the surface of Mars that cause intense shock metamorphism. This study examines the shock metamorphic features of three shergottite meteorites, Dho 019, NWA 12241, and NWA 15628, to better understand shock impact events. The research uses petrographic analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) to analyze the meteorites. A key focus of this research is the formation of maskelynite, a glass with plagioclase composition, whose formation mechanism has been the substance of debate among researchers. This study proposes that maskelynite forms through a transient intermediary glass state, exhibiting solid-state transformation and melting characteristics. Shock timescales were estimated by analyzing diffusion profiles in maskelynite grains. The calculated timescales using diffusion timescales are on the order of milliseconds to seconds. In addition, high-pressure phases in melt pockets were studied to trace pressure temperature paths during shock metamorphism.
This research provides a more nuanced understanding of shock metamorphism in Martian meteorites, offering new insights into maskelynite formation, shock duration, and the pressure-temperature conditions of impact events on Mars
Manifesto of an Arab Female
Get PDFIn this manifesto, the author provides a window into her gendered experiences growing up female in the Middle East. In identifying the ways that women encounter obstacles to expressing their full agency in male-dominated societies, the author invites the reader to join her in redefining the narrative of what it is and means to be a woman. The manifesto ends with a call for us to become architects of a new perspective through which equity becomes reality, one where we strive collectively for peace, freedom, and the pursuit of the common good
A Critical Appraisal of Poverty in the Context of Nature-Based Communities: Selected Cases from the Philippines
Get PDFThe Philippines is considered one of the wealthiest countries in both Southeast Asia and the world when measured by biodiversity, mineral resources and natural resources. It is also one of the most highly mineralized countries on earth. However, despite these natural endowments, when measured by established economic and human development indices the Philippines remains poor. Using critical perspectives derived from Marxist tradition, William Chambliss\u27 theory of law and its dialectical nature, Immanuel Wallerstein\u27s World Systems Theory, and Fred Block\u27s structural mechanism of the state, this study aimed to critically appraise the persistence of poverty in nature-based communities in the Philippines. It focuses particularly on communities engaged in Artisanal Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) in Barangay Pamintaran, Maragusan, Barangay Luklukan Sur, and Panganiban, as well as those engaged in Indigenous Almaciga Resin Tapping (IART) by the Pelawan Kenuy and Batak tribe located in Palawan islands. Results revealed emerging themes and contradictions. First, the domination of petty entrepreneurs (middle persons/financers) that subjugate workers in all cases. Second, the structural mechanisms of the state weaponize the law to oppress the working class through the following: a) the informalization structure and slow-paced processing of ASGM site application towards legalization and Almaciga licensing; b) bureaucratic, tedious and costly permitting/application systems for IART licenses and permits and the legalization of an ASGM mine site; and, 3) Neo-extractivism and world Systems theories are aligned with ASGM and IART cases. Theoretically, the results showed that the integrated explanatory power of the theoretical frames used in the study provided a cogent explanation of the persistence of poverty by understanding its structural, historical embeddedness alongside the socio-economic and environmental-political issues and critical junctures of society. The study invites us to account for a multifaceted view of the nature of poverty and the mediating role of law in nature-based communities, which confines IART and ASGM communities in the so-called inescapable poverty trap and working class exploitation