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Species with a long evolutionary history of sympatry often have mechanisms for resource partitioning that reduce competition. However, introduced non-native ungulates often compete with native ungulates and competitive effects can be exacerbated in arid regions due to low primary productivity. Our objectives were to characterize diet composition, quality, and overlap between American pronghorn Antilocapra americanaand introduced non-native gemsbok Oryx gazellain southcentral New Mexico, USA. Severe drought occurred between 2010 and 2011, which allowed us to evaluate drought impacts on diet composition, quality, and overlap. Using feces collected from each species, we assessed diet composition and overlap with microhistological analysis and diet quality using fecal nitrogen (FN) and fecal 2,6-diaminopimelic acid (FDAPA). Pronghorn diet was primarily composed of shrubs in the cool—dry season (64.5%) then shifted to forbs in the warm—dry (64.7%) and warm—wet (54.1%) seasons. Pronghorn diet also shifted to shrubs during drought (50.7%). Gemsbok diets were evenly distributed across forage types. Fifty-three percent of the species of plants consumed by pronghorn and gemsbok were shared; diet overlap averaged 0.44 ± 0.06 (SE) and 0.49 ± 0.06 during the warm—dry seasons of 2010 and 2011, respectively. During drought, key forage species shared between pronghorn and gemsbok included yucca Yuccaspp., prickly pear Opuntiaspp., globemallow Sphaeralcea coccineaand horsenettle Solanum elaeagnifolium,comprising 50% of the pronghorn and 40% of the gemsbok diets. Fecal nitrogen and FDAPA decreased in pronghorn by 26% and 27% between the warm—dry season of 2010 (non-drought) and the warm—dry season of 2011 (drought), respectively. Drought had little effect on dietary quality for gemsbok. Gemsbok can use forage with lower nutritional content giving them an advantage over pronghorn, particularly during drought periods. Pronghorn are more dependent upon precipitation, which may be important to consider in light of increasing drought frequency associated with climate change.

Introduction:Heart failure (HF) is a global health problem, contributing to increases in hospital readmission rates, high health care costs, and increased morbidity and mortality. HF symptoms can be difficult to manage and lead to depression.Purpose:To examine the impact of a nurse-led, telephone, coping intervention and HF symptoms on depression in patients with HF.Methods:A 3-group randomized controlled pilot study was conducted with 107 HF patients to test the effectiveness of a 12-week telephone-based coping intervention for HF symptoms. The intervention group (n = 34) received 1 home visit, weekly (1st month), and biweekly (months 2-3) telephone calls. The attention group (n = 38) received sham calls on a similar pattern as the intervention group. All groups received usual care, with the control group (n = 35) receiving usual care only. HF patients were 61 years old, on average; 54.2% male; 54.2% African American; and 43.9% NYHA II. Data were collected at baseline, 5, 9, and 13 weeks on social support (Interpersonal Support Evaluation List), problem-solving (Social Problem-Solving Inventory Revised-Short), HF symptoms (Heart Failure Symptom Survey), and depression (Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale). Linear mixed modeling was implemented to examine the effect of the intervention and HF symptoms on depression over time, controlling for social support and problem-solving.Results:Sixty-four patients completed the study (18 intervention; 24 attention; 22 control). No significant between-group differences in sociodemographic characteristics, HF symptoms, or depression was noted at baseline. There was no significant intervention effect over time on depression. However, experiencing HF symptoms over time contributed to worse depression across all groups.Conclusions:Experiencing HF symptoms can lead to worsened depression over time. Interventions that improve self-management of HF symptoms can potentially be effective in reducing depression in HF patients.

White locoweed (Oxytropis sericeaNuttall) and nontarget vegetation response to 2 yr of targeted grazing by sheep, one treatment of picloram plus 2, 4-D (HER) or no treatment (CON) were compared. Serum of sheep that grazed locoweed intermittently (IGZ, 5 d on locoweed followed by 3 d off locoweed) vs. counterparts that grazed locoweed continuously for 24 d (CGZ) was also examined. Alkaloid toxicity was inferred by serum levels of thyroxine (T4), triiodothyronine (T3), alkaline phosphatase (ALKP), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and swainsonine, as well as behavior and body weight gains. Three sites were used in a randomized complete block design. IGZ, CGZ, and HER treatments reduced locoweed density (P < 0.01), canopy cover (P < 0.01), number of flower stalks (IGZ: P = 0.02, CGZ and HER: P = 0.01), and plant size (P < 0.01). White locoweed seed density in the soil seed bank was not reduced with grazing, and nontarget vegetation was mostly unaffected by treatments. Grass canopy cover increased in grazed and herbicide plots throughout the study (IGZ: P = 0.03, CGZ and HER: P < 0.01). Percentage bare ground was unchanged (IGZ: P = 0.46, CGZ: P = 0.44) in grazed plots but decreased (P = 0.03) in HER plots. After 24 d, ewes in the IGZ treatment had lower levels of serum ALKP (P < 0.01) and AST (P = 0.02) and marginally lower swainsonine levels (P < 0.07) than CGZ ewes that tended to exhibit lower serum T3 (P < 0.07) and similar serum T4 (P = 0.25) levels. Time spent feeding on locoweed tended to differ (P = 0.06) between treatments. Body weight gain was the same (P = 0.19) regardless of treatment. IGZ of locoweed-infested rangeland with sheep may be a viable short-term means of reducing locoweed density without detrimentally affecting animal health.

Range science education programs strive to keep pace with the changing needs of the range profession and to ensure that range graduates are knowledgeable, skilled, and able to address contemporary, complex problems unique to rangelands. Today, range education programs face many challenges in our ability to meet the demands and needs of our profession and society. First, our capacity to meet the demands for range science graduates has been diminished by 1) elimination or restructuring of academic rangeland science programs, 2) reduced numbers of range-trained faculty teaching rangeland courses, and 3) limited public awareness of degrees and careers in rangeland science and management. Second, range education programs are challenged to strike a balance between retaining traditional basics and modernizing curriculum to include contemporary concepts and technologies. Third, range science graduates need to understand the current social, political, and economic context of resource management, including global change issues that are of paramount concern to society. We propose multiple approaches to meet these challenges: 1) perform needs assessments with diverse stakeholders to ensure that range education programs are relevant to society's needs and address the future of the profession; 2) find innovative approaches to strike the educational balance between fundamental concepts, practical field experiences, and mastery of technical and interpersonal skills; 3) collaborate across institutional boundaries to share educational resources and incorporate course formats that meet the diverse needs of today's students; 4) examine and align professional qualifications, educational standards, and curriculum by defining learning outcomes and core competencies needed by well-trained range professionals; and 5) communicate the unique features of the rangeland profession that solidify its position among the disciplinary pillars of natural resource science and management.

ABSTRACT The ability of resource managers to make informed decisions regarding wildlife habitat could be improved with the use of existing data sets and the use of cost-effective, standardized methods to simultaneously quantify vertical and horizontal cover. We characterized vegetation structure of 3 semiarid plant communities to compare cover pole measurements, standard measurements of vegetation cover, composition, height, and the proportion of the soil surface exposed by large intercanopy gaps. We propose that a more versatile and interpretable description of wildlife habitat can be generated using a line-point intercept method together with measurements of vegetation height and the proportion of the soil surface exposed by large intercanopy gaps.

Objectives To identify classes of heart failure (HF) caregivers based upon indicators of coping resources and stress, and then, to examine the relationships between the identified caregiver classes and depression, caregiver burden, and life changes.Methods Cross-sectional data from 530 HF caregivers were analyzed in this secondary analysis using a three-step latent class mixture model to classify caregivers based on level of resources and examine the relationship between the identified classes and depression, caregiver burden, and life changes. Using an online survey, caregivers reported on social support, problem-solving, family function, depression, caregiver burden, and life changes.Results Caregivers were 41.39 (± 10.38) years of age, 49.1% women, 78.3% white, 77.6% urban-dwelling, and 61.7% college/postgraduate educated. Three classes of caregivers (42.3% Adequately Resourced, 25.1% At Risk for Decompensation, 32.6% Inadequately Resourced) were identified. Inadequately Resourcedcaregivers had the lowest levels of social support, problem-solving, and family function and the highest levels of depression and caregiver burden. Caregivers At Risk for Decompensationhad the best family function and reported the most positive perceptions of life changes despite low levels of social support and problem-solving.Conclusion Social support, problem-solving, and family function are modifiable coping resources which may buffer stress and influence stress indicators. Caregivers with few coping resources may experience higher degrees of depression and burden, and less positive perceptions of life changes. More research is needed to examine the influence of these coping resources on caregiver adaptation to facilitate the development of targeted interventions which support caregiver mental health.

We examined the diet of granivorous sparrows in winter through stomach and crop contents and compared seed consumption with availability, on grasslands of southwestern New Mexico during January-March 2003. We collected diet samples from 18 species of sparrows at five sites. Over 65 seed species were detected in diets. Despite high seed diversity in diets, five seed species accounted for 80% of seeds consumed. The most abundant seed species detected were perennial grasses sand and spike dropseed (Sporobolus spp.), annual grasses feather fingergrass (Chloris virgata), stinkgrass (Eragrostis cilianensis), and annual forbs amaranth (Amaran thus spp.), and carpetweed (Mo Hugo verticillata). The soil seed bank at these sites was also diverse with >90 species detected. The dominant seeds in the soil seedbank samples included feather fingergrass, stinkgrass, and carpetweed. Diets of coexisting species (Chipping Sparrow [Spizella passerina], Brewer's Sparrow [Spizella breweri], Vesper Sparrow [Pooecetes gramineus], Savannah Sparrow [Passerculus sandwicheusis], and White-crowned [Zonotrichia leucophrys]) differed within the most diverse site and among sites. Dropseed seeds were the preferred seed type of the smaller-bodied Spizella sparrows and the larger-bodied Vesper Sparrow. Where present, dropseed was important in the diets of all sparrow species. Depending on location, cupgrass, amaranth, and dropseed were preferred by Savannah Sparrow while Vesper Sparrow preferred cupgrass, goosefoot (Chenopodium spp.), dropseed, and knotweed (Polygonuni spp.). Small-bodied sparrows specialized on small-sized seeds whereas larger-bodied sparrows exhibited preferences for seeds representing a diversity of sizes. The importance of the perennial dropseed grasses in sparrow diets emphasizes the need to examine the influence of management practices on seed production for this grassland type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Cover poles, also called Robel poles, are used to measure a variety of structural vegetation attributes commonly used in wildlife and livestock management. Although cover pole dimensions, measurement criteria, and interpretation of cover pole data vary depending on measurement objectives, the technical use of cover poles is fairly consistent. Practical use of cover poles requires that they are sturdy, lightweight, and easily transported. We describe a cover pole apparatus that can be easily constructed, transported, and assembled for use in remote locations. This self-supporting cover pole enables one person to take measurements, and can be modified for use in multiple habitats and soil types.

Surface soil water contents were analyzed for bare and litter- or gravel-covered soils for 20 drying periods after summer rainfall in southeastern Arizona. Water contents were measured every minute by fiberglass cells calibrated for the sandy-loam soil, and 30- to 60-min averages were stored by microloggers. Water loss to equivalent matric potentials of -1.5 MPa for bare surface soils (1-3 cm) was fast (1.2 ± 0.5 days), moderate (2.6 ± 0.9 days), or slow (5.9 ± 1.4 days) when the upper 15 cm of soil at the start of the drying period had 13.3, 27.1, and 36.1 cm of water, respectively. Those water contents are near saturation and near field capacity for slow and moderate drying rates, respectively. For fast drying rates, water content was near field capacity at 1-3 cm but dry below 8 cm. Litter or gravel mulches increased the time of surface soil water availability by 0.7 to 1.9 days for fast and moderate drying periods, respectively. Drying from the surface down into the soil profile averaged 3.6 cm day-1. Short summer rainstorms may germinate warm-season grasses which will desiccate if subsequent rainfall is not persistent enough to maintain surface water availability and allow adventitious root development. Estimates of time that the drying front reaches the depth of seminal roots of warm-season grasses were used to suggest rain-rainless day patterns that might result in seedling mortality. Sowing during the summer rainy season when the probability of these patterns is minimal may increase revegetation success. High correlation of available water periods with meterological variables suggests that soil water dynamics could be accurately estimated using physically based models, and may permit more detailed modeling of seedling establishment.

Reports on the business experiences of Amoena GmbH, manufacturer of external breast forms for patients who have undergone masectomy. The patented Amoena process; Attention to quality; Establishing itself in the American market; Exports to Japan, Taiwan, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Columbia, Venezuela, Argentina, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Panama; Mistake of going after too many countries. INSET: Exporter of the year..

Reports on the International Village concept introduced in DeKalb County, Atlanta. Cultural diversity; Buford Highway corridor; Village as brainchild of the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce; Center for multicultural communications and understanding; Increase of volunteers; Evolution of Chamblee and Doraville; Redevelopment of portions of Chamblee and Doraville with an international theme; Resident participation; Korean community; Chinese community; More.

Reports on the fast food delivery service `Chop Chop Chinese to You' and owners Bob and Joyce Cotman's plans for company expansion. Expansion from 8 to 64 locations; Expansion into North Carolina and Florida; Domino's Pizza executives' move to Chop Chop; Company's sales per week; Chinese food as top priority.

Introduction:As more heart failure (HF) patients are being cared for in community settings by informal caregivers, maintaining optimal caregiver well-being is vital. Yet, little is known about caregivers? personal self-care (SC) or the relation between SC and caregiver outcomes.Purpose:To identify differences in subgroups of HF caregivers at risk for poor SC and to examine the relation among caregiver SC and perceived caregiver burden, depression, and life changes related to caregiving in HF caregivers.Methods:Using a cross-sectional, correlational design, 530 HF caregivers completed a series of online surveys, including the Denyes Self-Care Practice Instrument, the Dutch Objective Burden Inventory, the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale, the Bakas Caregiving Outcomes Scale, the Social Problem-Solving Inventory Revised, the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List, and the Family Apgar. HF caregivers were mostly Caucasian (78.3%) men (50.9%) age 41.39 (? 10.38) years and caring for a spouse with HF (44.9%). A three-step latent class mixture model was used to identify subgroups of HF caregivers and to examine differences in SC between groups adjusted for years since patient HF diagnosis, comorbidities, and NYHA HF Class. Spearman?s correlational analysis was used to examine the relation among caregiver SC and caregiver outcomes.Results:Three classes of HF caregivers were identified (High Risk, Moderate Risk, Low Risk). Caregivers in the low risk class were slightly younger, mostly male with the highest levels of problem solving, social support, and family functioning. The high risk class was the most racially diverse with the lowest problem-solving, social support, and family functioning. SC was lower for the high risk class compared to the moderate (95% CI -27.92, -18.39) and low (95% CI -20.45, -16.76) risk classes. Better SC was significantly related to lower perceived caregiver burden, less depression, and more positive life changes related to caregiving.Conclusions:Caregiver SC may be an important factor in caregiver and patient outcomes. These results suggest a need for individualized approaches to enhancing SC in HF caregivers that target problem-solving, social support, and family functioning.

Focuses on still current designer production of the first computer-aided economic development tool for the East German state of Saxony. Saxony Economic Development Ministry's use of tool; North American Free Trade Agreement's (NAFTA) great potential; Modular product to cut prices significantly.

Reports on the new contract between United Parcel Service and its drivers and package handlers.

Observes the significant increase in the number of foreign chambers of commerce, consuls and economic-development agencies that have set up offices in Atlanta. Good exposure from the 1996 Olympic games; Increased trade between the Southeastern United States and Israel; Australian companies that established branches in Georgia.

Presents the `Business Atlanta' survey of metro Atlanta's largest companies. Focus on 250 top public, private and internationally owned companies; Increase in revenues, capital investment expenditures and employment numbers; Variables that affect sales.

Reports on the re-organization of Saab Cars USA. Relocation from Connecticut to Atlanta ; Joint venture with General Motors; Introduction of Saab's new 900 model; Reduction of employee base; Effect of streamlining to consumer sales.

Reports on the PATH Foundation's receipt of funding for construction of initial section of a 110-mile network of bike and pedestrian trails in the metro area. NationsBank and Blue Circle America as donors; Targeting of companies with interests in the 1996 Olympics; PATH trails as part of the larger Atlanta Region Bicycle Transportation and Pedestrian Walkways.

Reports on the adoption of economic-development rules for Georgia led by Governor Zell Miller. Emphasis on team play and needs of existing industries; Listing of the top 100 international companies with US headquarters in Georgia.

Reports on the mandate issued by Georgia Governor Zell Miller to public and private officials to forego turf battles, attract new companies to the state and provide expansion incentives for existing industry. Governor's Development Council (GDC); Balancing the region's economic needs and developing a statewide economic-development strategy.

Details the marketing strategy of Imagination USA. Chief executive officer Brian Shepherd; Mission; Image-enhancement campaign for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's (ASO) summer series; Goals.

Looks at Coca-Cola's newest production facility outside Radeberg, Germany and its production of drinks in 1.5 liter plastic bottles. Refillable bottles as one of many packaging options in select markets in Europe, Africa, and Latin America; 12 percent growth rate by Coca-Cola in Germany.

Reports that Atlanta was being unnoticed as a high-technology area.

Reports that Mercedes Benz will build a plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Reports on the relocation of the Cooperative for American Relief Everywhere (CARE) headquarters from New York to Atlanta.

Reports on business activities of grocery-store companies in Atlanta, Georgia. Publix; Harris Teeter; Kroger; A&P.

Reports on the business activities of Bank South. `Bob' radio advertisements; Acquisition of Chatahoochie Bancorp and Merchant Bank; Deals with Barnett Bank.

Reports that Delta Airlines cut its costs and profited by carrying out pay cuts for most employees, laying off 500 pilots, 3000 early retirement plans and cutting down the on number of airplanes and flights.

Reports that Bellsouth Corporation financed the acquisition of Paramount Pictures by QVC Network Incorporated.

Reports on the business activities of the Turner Broadcasting System. Rumors of the possible breakup of the company in spring; Acquisition of two Hollywood studios; Screening of `Gettysburg'.

Reports on the City/State and Preferred Lenders program of the Export-Import Bank of the United States. Background on the programs; Effect on Georgia's small and midsize businesses; Focus on the speeding-up of the application loan process; Reflections on the Georgia Housing & Finance Authority (GHFA).

Reports on the expansion strategy of The Athlete's Foot Group to retain its spot in sportswear and athletic-shoe retailing. Five-year strategy by president and CEO Pierre Serralta; Registered 13% growth in sales; Testing of the marketing concepts.