Forage intake rates of ruffed grouse and potential effects on grouse density

1996 ◽  
Vol 74 (11) ◽  
pp. 2016-2024 ◽  
Author(s):  
David G. Hewitt ◽  
Roy L. Kirkpatrick
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Southeastern United States ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Metabolizable Energy ◽  
Winter Mortality ◽  
Ruffed Grouse ◽  
Winter Diet ◽  
Energy Demands ◽  
Daily Energy ◽  
Forage Intake

One hypothesis to explain low densities of ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) in the southeastern United States is that available winter forages in the Southeast require more time to harvest than forages eaten in the central portions of the species' range, where grouse densities are greater. Longer foraging times could increase mortality rates through greater predation risk and higher energy expenditure. To test this hypothesis, we conducted trials with captive ruffed grouse to determine their maximum instantaneous rates of intake of various forages and used the results to estimate minimum foraging times for southeastern ruffed grouse consuming an average winter diet. Grouse in the Southeast must forage for > 100 min to meet their energy demands. Ruffed grouse in the central portion of the range rely heavily on aspen (Populus sp.) buds during the winter and can consume the same amount of metabolizable energy in 30–50 min. Thus, we present evidence that ruffed grouse in the southeastern United States must forage for longer periods to meet daily energy demands and therefore may experience higher winter mortality rates.

The Impact of Chronic Ambient Exposure to PM2.5 and Ozone on Asthma Prevalence and COPD Mortality Rates in the Southeastern United States

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Azita Amiri ◽  
Brinda Mahalingam ◽  
Anton Derbes ◽  
Jordan Haney ◽  
Susan Alexander ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Respiratory Diseases ◽  
Southeastern United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Asthma Prevalence ◽  
Chronic Obstructive ◽  
Ambient Exposure ◽  
Medical Histories ◽  
The Impact

Respiratory diseases affect millions of people across the United States annually. Two of the most common respiratory diseases are chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. Mortality rates due to COPD have increased by an estimated 30% between 1980 and 2014, with significant variances among geographic regions. Both acute and chronic ambient exposures to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone have been associated with exacerbations of respiratory diseases in numerous studies, and exposure to air pollutants are considered as the largest health risk factor globally. This study adds to the current literature by reporting the results of a time series analysis of the impact of PM2.5 and ozone on prevalence rates of asthma and mortality rates for COPD at regional and county levels across the southeastern United States for the years 2005–2014. While general reductions in levels of PM2.5 and ozone were demonstrated across all years, a distributed lag model showed continued strong associations between PM2.5 and prevalence of asthma and mortality due to COPD, even at relatively small increases in ambient exposure (<1 μg/m3) across the southeastern United States. The results of the study support the need for additional research that considers factors such as patient demographics, medical histories, and health disparities in combination with ambient exposures to known pollutants.

Does Enhancing Mind Perception Affect Conspiracy Belief?

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Noguera
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Southeastern United States ◽  
Social Discourse ◽  
Psychological Processes ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Mind Perception ◽  
Mixed Anova ◽  
Interaction Term ◽  
The Mind

This study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of a novel mind perception manipulation. Mind perception is currently theorized to be an essential aspect of a number of human social psychological processes. Thus, a successful manipulation would allow for the causal study of those processes. This manipulation was created in an attempt to explore the downstream impact of mind perception on the endorsement of conspiracy theories. Conspiracy theories are steadily becoming more and more prominent in social discourse. Endorsement of conspiracy theories are beginning to show real world ramifications such as a danger to human health (e.g., in the anti-vaccination movement). A sample of college students (valid N = 53) from a large rural institution in the southeastern United States participated for course credit. These participants completed a mind perception pretest, were randomly assigned to either the manipulation in question (in which participants are asked to consider the ‘mind’ of several targets and write their thoughts about them) or the control condition, and then they completed a posttest. The mixed ANOVA revealed that the interaction term between Time and Condition was not significant. Because the manipulation did not work, other analyses were aborted, in accord with the pre-registration. My Discussion focuses on the procedures and potential shortcomings of this manipulation, in an effort to lay the groundwork for a successful one.

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