Western Carolina University

About: Western Carolina University is a education organization based out in Cullowhee, North Carolina, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 1660 authors who have published 3192 publications receiving 69454 citations.

Population Parameters of Plethodon metcalfi on a 10-Year-Old Clearcut and in Nearby Forest in the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains

Abstract: During the summer of 1997, 115 Plethodon metcalfi were collected on a 10-year-old clearcut (50) and in a nearby forest (65) in the vicinity of Highlands, North Carolina. Sex, reproductive status, snout–vent length, mass, and age were used to assess the effects of clearcutting. Relative to the forest population, the clearcut population had a smaller proportion of juveniles and proportionately fewer adult males in reproductive condition. Mature female salamanders had greater snout–vent lengths (SVL) than mature males, but there was no difference in average SVL between sites. Masses of mature salamanders did not differ by sex, but salamanders on the clearcut were more massive than their counterparts in forest. Ages of mature salamanders did not differ by sex or site. These results suggest that age distributions, masses, and reproductive efforts of P. metcalfi populations on clearcuts in the southern Blue Ridge Mountains are altered by clearcutting. Future research concerning effects of forest manage...

Effects of Picture Prompts Delivered by a Video iPod on Pedestrian Navigation

Abstract: Transportation access is a major contributor to independence, productivity, and societal inclusion for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). This study examined the effects of pedestrian navigation training using picture prompts displayed through a video iPod on travel route completion with 4 adults with IDD. Results indicated a functional relation between picture prompts on the video iPod and pedestrian navigation skills to and from various locations. Maintenance data indicated all participants continued navigating trained routes for up to 232 days using the video iPod. Generalization measures to untrained routes were positive. Social validity data suggested iPod training was useful and practical for teaching independent pedestrian navigation skills. Last, limitations, suggestions for future research, and implications for practice were provided.

Blood Politics: Race, Culture, and Identity in the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma

Abstract: Blood Politics: Race, Culture, and Identity in the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma Circe Sturm (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2002)

Female genital system of the folding-trapdoor spider Antrodiaetus unicolor (Hentz, 1842) (Antrodiaetidae, Araneae): Ultrastructural study of form and function with notes on reproductive biology of spiders

Abstract: The genitalia of the female folding-trapdoor spider Antrodiaetus unicolor are characterized by two pairs of spermathecae that are arranged in a single row and connected to the roof of the bursa copulatrix. Each single spermatheca is divided into three main parts: stalk, bowl, and bulb, which are surrounded by the spermathecal gland. The epithelium of the spermathecal gland is underlain by a muscle meshwork and consists of different types of cells partly belonging to glandular cell units (Class 3 gland cells) that extend into pores in the cuticle of the stalk and bowl. Interestingly, the bulb lacks glandular pores and is characterized by a weakly sclerotized cuticle. This peculiarly structured bulb probably plays an important role in the discharge of the sperm mass. It is suggested that by contraction of the muscle layer the sperm mass may be squeezed out, when the bulb invaginates and expands into the spermathecal lumen, pushing the sperm to the uterus lumen. Each glandular unit consists of usually one or two central secretory cells that are for the most part surrounded by a connecting cell that again is surrounded by a canal cell. The canal cell, finally, is separated from the other epithelial cells (intercalary cells) located between the glandular units by several thin sheath cells that form the outer enveloping layer of the unit. The secretions are released through a cuticular duct that originates proximally between the apical part of the connecting cell and the apical microvilli of the secretory cells and runs into a pore of the spermathecal cuticle. The glandular products of the Class 3 gland cells likely contribute to the conditions allowing long-term storage of the spermatozoa in this species. Details regarding the ovary, the uterus internus, and the uterus externus are reported. Most of the secretion that composes the chorion of the egg is produced in the ovary. Glandular cell units observed in the uterus externus differ structurally from those in the spermathecae and likely play a different role. Finally, we briefly discuss our results on the female genitalia of A. unicolor in the light of knowledge about the reproductive biology of spiders. J. Morphol. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.