558 research outputs found
Social, Civic, and Institutional Trust: Necessary Conditions for a Pluralistic Democracy
No full textIn this perspectives brief, author Bruce Mallory discusses how trust in social, civic, and institutional structures is a necessary ingredient for a healthy democratic society. Erosion of trust in democratic societies has negative effects for individuals, communities, and public participation in political and civic matters. Data from surveys of New Hampshire residents as well as national samples over the past decade show declining levels of trust in social and political institutions. This has been exacerbated in recent years by the global pandemic as well as increasingly stark political and social divisions.
Drawing on resources such as the 2020 New Hampshire Civic Health Index, the Pew Research Center, and national surveys and polls, Mallory shares what we know about levels of trust and trends over time. He explores what the trends mean, what might be done to strengthen trust, and strategies that hold promise for nurturing trust in our society. The goal is to create the spaces and processes for active citizens to hear each other out and create feasible, multipartisan approaches to improving the well-being of communities and their diverse residents. He concludes, “This is a hard climb in the current climate to be sure, but is there any other choice?
Using stable isotopes to assess whether trophic feeding position predicts plastic ingestion in two species of gull (Larus argentatus and L. marinus)
No full textPlastic pollution is increasingly recognized as one of the most significant environmental concerns in the modern era. Organisms in marine environments are particularly susceptible to effects of plastic pollution via ingestion, entanglement, and toxicity. Seabirds are useful bioindicators of ongoing issues in marine systems, and they can be studied to learn more about how pollutants move throughout an ecosystem. I studied gut contents of 44 herring gulls (Larus argentatus), and 44 great black-backed gulls (L. marinus) to compare ingested plastic and other anthropogenic debris between species, with respect to their average trophic feeding positions (based on stable isotopes of nitrogen and carbon) and time of year. Although great black-backed gulls fed predictably at a higher trophic level, there were no differences in ingestion rates, plastic mass, or seasonal ingestion of plastics between species. I interpret these results as suggesting, first, that herring gulls rely more heavily on low trophic level landfill food subsidies during the winter (leftover food scraps), and
shift to more natural higher trophic level marine foods (e.g., invertebrates, scavenging fisheries wastes) in the breeding period. Second, I interpret great black-backed gulls to be more likely feeding on more on natural foods (or directly scavenging fisheries by-products) throughout the year, while incorporating items from the landfill as a supplementary source of food. Finally, I comment on the need for more standardized methods in the field of plastic ingestion research and compare my findings to those in other literature
Reactions of ground-nesting marine birds to human disturbance in the Canadian Arctic
No full textI studied the reactions of five, ground-nesting marine bird species (Arctic tern Sterna paradisaea; Sabine’s gull Xema sabini; common eider Somateria mollissima; long-tailed duck Clangula hyemalis; Ross’ gull Rhodostethia rosea) breeding in the low and high Arctic to disturbance from nearby aircraft, as well as avian flight initiation response to humans approaching on foot. All species except nesting long-tailed ducks and common eiders departed their nest when overhead aircraft were within 200 m, with loafing birds often flying off when aircraft were still 1 km away. There was considerable individual and species-specific variation in responses to approaching humans, with some nesting birds not flushing from their nest until touched by a researcher (e.g., waterfowl; 0 m), while others flushed when people were 400 m away (Ross’s gull). Excluding Ross’s gulls, 95% of the individuals of most species did not initiate flight until humans were ≤ 100 m from the nest, suggesting that this might represent a minimum, suitable “buffer zone” around nesting colonies for non-motorized human activities.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author
An assessment of nitrogen and phosphorus availability in constructed wetlands in the Cumberland Marsh Region, Canada
No full textThe Cumberland Marsh Region (CMR), located on the coast of the Bay of Fundy, is a major feeding ground for waterfowl and contains significant coastal wetland systems. At this site there is concern over the occurrence of wetland senescence (the apparent decline of an ecosystem's productivity), which appears to be a limiting factor in the viability of the CMR's constructed wetlands, and results in management challenges. This study focuses on evaluating nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) in both surface and groundwater, and assessing the impact of landscape variability, and temporal and
quantitative variations of natural and anthropogenic nutrient sources within altered and constructed wetlands. Water analyses were carried out weekly over a 3-month period on ten constructed freshwater wetlands, one altered freshwater wetland and three ground water sites. Results indicate that the impact of regional N and P sources on the sampled wetland sites is relatively low, and P loading is primarily autochthonous. These observations are supported by low N readings (<3 mg/L) at all sites with little seasonal variation, and higher (eutrophic) P levels that fluctuate without external input (40—300
μg/L) most notably in newly constructed wetlands. Although land use may not be an important contributor to N levels in surface water, a relatively high (5 mg/L) ground water reading suggests that anthropogenic sources exist. These results imply that nutrient sources, inputs, and pathways should be examined when choosing a potential wetland site to avoid the monetary and ecological losses associated with senescent constructed wetland
Examination of metals in gastropods to determine the potential for accumulation in the Border Marsh Region
No full textThe Border Marsh Region (BMR), located on the Isthmus of Chignecto, is a major feeding ground for waterfowl and contains significant coastal wetland systems. The purpose of this study was to examine various open water wetland sites across the BMR to explore the potential for bioaccumulation of Pb and As in higher trophic level species. A previous study indicated elevated Pb and As concentrations in bottom sediments at most wetland sites. Gastropods were chosen to sample as vectors for metal transfer to waterfowl and it was hypothesized that gastropods would accumulate these metals in similar concentrations to their bottom sediment. Eleven sites were sampled, and relative element concentrations in gastropods were analyzed using a XRF spectrometer and compared to sediment concentrations. Results showed there were no significant correlations between Pb and As concentrations in sediment and gastropods, however these concentrations distinguished sediment and gastropods between brackish ponds, freshwater ponds constructed by Ducks Unlimited Canada and a freshwater lake. Although Pb and As concentrations in gastropods were not toxic, there were three important observations: i) the greatest proportions of Pb and As concentrations in gastropods to sediment were detected in the natural brackish ponds, ii) As was detected in gastropods from all sites whereas Pb was only detected in gastropods from the brackish ponds and the freshwater lake, and iii) As concentrations in gastropods were higher in recently constructed freshwater ponds. Wetland chemistries, and/or gastropod physiologies are likely critical factors in determining whether Pb and As will bioaccumulate in gastropods, and warrant further investigation for wetland management strategies
Exploring stress biomarkers in an avian model
No full textBiomarkers are measurable biological molecules that can be used as indicators of stress in animals. Presently, there is little understanding of stress biomarkers in birds. The objective of this study is to identify changes in unique proteins in an avian model to further our understanding of the stress response in Aves. The models chosen in this study were the Herring Gull
(Larus argentatus) and Great Black-Backed Gull (L. marinus). Specimens were obtained from the St. John's International Airport, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Samples of liver tissue were ground in a mortar and pestle under sterile
conditions to extract soluble proteins. Protein concentrations were normalized and 1D SDS-PAGE followed by a modified silver staining method were used to identify individual protein profiles. Gels were imaged and digitized using a Fluor-STM Multi-imager. Protein spots were excised from the gels and further analyzed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Preliminary MS data indicates the presence of known stress proteins, including heat shock-70, heat shock-90, anti-oxidants such as superoxide dismutase and, pyridoxine phosphate oxidase
(an essential enzyme in vitamin B6 metabolism). These proteins will be quantified by immunoblotting and used as targets to identify the effects of environmental stressors on the gulls. As our knowledge of stress in Aves is limited, these data will contribute to the broader understanding of stress in Aves
Chronicles of Oklahoma
No full textArticle depicts the life and career of holiness worker Mattie Mallory, who left her mark on Oklahoma history as the founder of the city of Bethany and the Oklahoma Orphanage, which later became part of the Children's Center. Charles Edwin Jones explores her dedication to her faith and motivations for her accomplishments
Digital Archaeology and the Curation Crisis: 3D Modeling as an Answer to the Problems of Collections Access and Use
No full textThe archaeological curation crisis has plagued repositories and archaeologists alike with a multitude of problems for several decades, most notably inaccessibility to collections. Archaeological artifacts continue to be curated in repositories with little prospect of ever being used by researchers to uncover new information about the past, rendering them essentially useless and removing much of the moral justification of archaeology itself. However, in creating digital 3D models of artifacts and site excavations, archaeologists and repositories can make archaeological data and research widely available to people around the world through the Internet while protecting artifacts from transfer, travel, and potential harm through handling. Alongside 3D models, digital repositories like tDAR are helping to alleviate the problem by providing a digital environment for curation and instant access. An analysis of 3D model creation and digital repository curation, along with a discussion of how to alleviate copyright and access control concerns that arise from sharing digital information, show that while there are still some problems that exist, the benefits of digitizing archaeological collections for research far outweigh the costs.Anthropolog
Members of the anti-tank Platoon No. 1 Pacific infantry training battalion, Camp Vernon
No full textLeft to right front row: LeBlanc, Strom, Noonan, Osborne, MacKillop, Waterfield, Rafter, McGinnis, Tracey, Milliken. 2nd row: Holmes, Patrick, Rich, Sgt. Gordon, Lieut. Stewart, Sgt. Sexton, McConnell, Whitehead, Little. 3rd row: Pigeau, King, Burgoyne, Wood, Taylor, Author, Smyth, Crosby, McIllvenna, Oram, Riches. Back row: Quinney, Ingram, Thomas, Haigh, Yourth, Ervin, Lewis, J. W. Walker, Mallory, J. L. Walker, Strang
High-Precision Stress Measurement in Thin Films for X-Ray Mirrors
No full textFuture X-ray observatories aim to achieve sub-arcsecond angular resolution with unprecedented sensitivity. Silicon meta-shell optics technology will enable the X-ray astronomy instrumentation community to create such an observatory. The light-weighted silicon mirrors used in meta-shell optics have a low stiffness which makes them susceptible to deformations caused by stress in their reflective coatings. Much research has been dedicated to figuring coated mirrors that have been deformed by their coatings and in creating low stress coatings. These coatings need to be stable over decades for the length of the observatory's mission. However, the stress stability of candidate X-ray reflective coatings has not been measured or proven to be small enough as to not re-deform the mirrors after they have been corrected.
Membrane resonance techniques have been used to study thin film stress evolution during deposition. It has a superior sensitivity as compared to other techniques, such as substrate curvature methods. A novel device that uses the membrane resonance technique to repeatably measure stress in thin films is described. Sources of non-repeatability are discussed and repeatability studies are performed. The results presented in this thesis suggest that the membrane resonance technique is suitable for use in measuring X-ray reflective coating stress stability to the minute levels required for future X-ray observatories.S.M
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