Chaminade University of Honolulu

About: Chaminade University of Honolulu is a education organization based out in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Experiential learning. The organization has 164 authors who have published 223 publications receiving 5381 citations.

Community composition of coral associated Symbiodiniaceae is driven by fine scale environmental gradients

Abstract: The survival of reef-building corals is dependent upon a symbiosis between the coral and the community of Symbiodiniaceae. Montipora capitata, one of the main reef building coral species in Hawaiʻi, is known to host a diversity of symbionts, but it remains unclear how they change spatially and whether environmental factors drive those changes. Here, we surveyed the Symbiodiniaceae community in 600 M. capitata colonies from 30 sites across Kāneʻohe Bay and tested for host specificity and environmental gradients driving spatial patterns of algal symbiont distribution. We found that the Symbiodiniaceae community differed markedly across sites, with M. capitata in the most open-ocean (northern) site hosting few or none of the genus Durusdinium, whereas individuals at other sites had a mix of Durusdinium and Cladocopium. Our study shows that the algal symbiont community composition responds to fine-scale differences in environmental gradients; depth and temperature variability were the most significant predictor of Symbiodiniaceae community, although environmental factors measured in the study explained only about 20% of observed variation. Identifying and mapping Symbiodiniaceae community distribution at multiple scales is an important step in advancing our understanding of algal symbiont diversity, distribution and evolution, and the potential responses of corals to future environmental change.

Learning, Fast and Slow

Abstract: In Thinking, Fast and Slow (2011) Kahneman describes two modes of thinking: System 1 and 2. System 1 operates quickly, automatically, and unconsciously, drawing on our vast reservoir of stored know...

Assessing Sleep Problems of Older Adults

Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the process of age-associated changes in sleep and the multiple causes of sleep disorders in older adults. It examines causal factors of sleep problems and then outlines assessment strategies and specific approaches and measures used to assess sleep. Case examples illustrate how various issues manifest in clinical practice. It concludes with a discussion of trends in the assessment of sleep problems in the context of demographic changes, such as age shifts in the population and increased ethnic diversity, as well as economic factors and technological advances. Experiencing poor sleep appears inevitable with advanced age, and sleep problems tend to compromise a person's quality of life more when they occur in the last decades of life. In a study of 9000 participants over age 65, 80% reported having sleep complaints and more than half reported that they had chronic sleep difficulties. Such high rates of sleep problems appear to reflect physical ailments and psychopathology more than aging per se. As such, the development of a sleep problem for an older adult may signal the need for medical and psychological treatment. Insomnia, which is reported to be experienced by 20–40% of older adults, is associated with shorter survival. Mortality due to common causes of death is up to two times higher for older adults with sleep disorders compared to those who sleep well.

Law Enforcement Pathways to Mental Health: Secondary Traumatic Stress, Social Support, and Social Pressure

Abstract: The mental health of law enforcement officers (LEO) is critical to the safety and well-being of the officers and the public they serve. However, LEO face significant on-the-job stressors that undermine mental health, and there is a lot to be learned about when and how LEO seek and enter mental health services. The present study sought to explore variables related to mental health seeking behavior, the role of social engagement and social pressure in the decision to seek mental health services, and the most common pathways into mental health utilized by LEO. A small sample of 86 LEO were recruited from the social media page of a law enforcement nonprofit support organization to take several self-report measures on past mental health service usage and intentions to seek future services, the Inventory of Attitudes Toward Seeking Mental Health Services, the Professional Quality of Life Survey, and a measure of social engagement on mental health topics. Results indicate that while a number of factors are associated with intentions to seek future services, the primary factor in past mental health seeking behavior was secondary traumatic stress. Those who sought mental health services reported higher social engagement and social pressure to seek help. LEO entered mental health services for a variety of reasons and through a variety of provider options, such that no one provider source was preferred. Though the present study was limited by a small sample size, reliance on self-report measures, and occurred during a time of civil unrest that sparked the “defund the police” movement, the results serve as a starting point for understanding the pathways into mental health services for LEO and the roles of secondary trauma and prior mental health service experience.

A primer on microbiology

Abstract: In many ways microorganisms are an ideal form of physical evidence. They can be found virtually everywhere and are certainly present in every habitat occupied by humans. Thus, microbes could be collected from every scene under a forensic investigation, yet not all microorganisms are everywhere; like many forms of trace evidence, some microbes are found only in certain locations due to having a preferred habitat, much like how insects, birds, and reptiles have a preferred habitat range. Another valuable characteristic of microorganisms is that many of them can transform themselves into a highly durable structure that is designed to survive harsh conditions, which increases the likelihood of their survival and discovery. Considering all of these attributes, it is probably not surprising that microorganisms have been used as physical evidence since the early days of forensic science, particularly to establish the cause of death (e.g., MacCallum and Hastings, 1899). Forensic microbiology has since grown into an exciting discipline relevant to several areas of forensic science including medicolegal death investigation (Caplan and Koontz, 2001; Forbes et al., 2016), bioterrorism (Budowle et al., 2011), and product authenticity (Brzezinski and Craft, 2012). It will be absolutely fascinating to learn of the new discoveries in forensic microbiology over the next few decades. Historically microbes have been used almost exclusively as spatial evidence—physical evidence that is used to associate people with diseases, objects, and/or locations (Locard, 1930a, b, c; Caplan and Koontz, 2001; Tridico et al., 2014; Wiltshire et al., 2014; Young et al., 2015). This application is similar to the use of any other form of trace evidence, such as soil (Bisbing, 2016), paint (Kirkbride, 2016), glass (Almirall and Trejos, 2016), and fibers (Houck, 2016). However, recent research has shown that microorganisms