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Investigating Montezuma Quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae) diet composition is fundamental for unveiling how ecosystem processes limit its population size and may provide relevant tools for the management of this species. Our objective was to determine winter diet composition of the Montezuma Quail from crops harvested during 8 hunting seasons (2007-2017) and its geographic variation in Arizona and New Mexico. In addition, we used beta regression analyses to determine the effect of environmental factors on Montezuma Quail diet composition. Acorns (Quercus spp.) and sedge rhizomes (Cyperus fendlerianus) were the most frequently found food items of Montezuma Quail crops studied in Arizona and New Mexico, respectively, followed by tepary beans (Phaseolus acutifolius), woodsorrel tubers (Oxalis spp.), and arthropods in both states. Wet mass of forage from individual quail crops was positively associated with time of day. Quail diet composition in Arizona and New Mexico was associated with geographic variation in mean annual precipitation for acorns and with mean annual temperature for sedge (Cyperus spp.) rhizomes and tubers, but other main food items were not associated with environmental factors. These functional relationships between these 2 food items and climatic variables suggest that Montezuma Quail diet composition has a large component subject to environmental control. Received 7 March 2022. Accepted 24 May 2022. Key words: Arizona, foraging, Meams's Quail, New Mexico, winter diet. Investigar la composition de la dicta de la codomiz Moctezuma (Cyrtonyx montezumae) es fundamental para develar como los procesos del ecosistema limitan el tamano de la poblacion y puede proporcionar henramienlas relevantes para el mancjo de esta especie. Nuestro objetivo fue detenninar la composition de la dieta invcrnal de !a codomiz Moctezuma a partir de buches de codomiz coscchados durante 8 lemporadas de caza (2007-2017), y su variation geografica en Arizona y Nuevo Mexico, Ademas, utilizamos analisis de regresion beta para determmar el efecto de los factores ambientales en la composition de la dieta de la codomiz Moctezuma. Las hcllotas {Quercus spp.) y los rizomas de Cyperus fendlerianus fueron los aiimentos encontrados con mayor tfccucncia en los buches de codomiz Moctezuma estudiados en Arizona y Nuevo Mexico, respectivamente, seguidos por los frijolcs tepari (Phaseolus acutifolius). los tuberculos de Oxalis spp. y artropodos en ambos cslados. La masa humeda de los buches individuates de codomiz se asocio positivamente con la hora del dia. La composition de la dieta de las codomices en Arizona y Nuevo Mexico se asocio con la variation geografica en la precipitation media anual para bellotas y con la temperatura media anual para rizomas y tuberculos de Cyperus spp., pero otros aiimentos principales no se asociaron con factores ambientales. Estas relacioncs funcionalcs entre cstos 2 clementos alimenticios y las variables climaticas sugieren que la composition de la dicta de la eodorniz Moctezuma tiene un gran componente sujeto a control ambicnlal. Palabras clave: alimentation. Arizona, eodorniz de Mcarns. dieta de invierno. Nuevo Mexico., The Montezuma Quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae) is a valued game bird that provides recreational opportunities in the semiarid temperate savannas of southern Arizona, New Mexico, and southwestern and western Texas. As [...]

Teaching is a selfless profession. Although many teachers find great satisfaction in their work, most educators would probably say they are driven by the desire to help and inspire students. Too often, educators sacrifice their own well-being to support students' social, emotional, and academic needs. Teacher wellness influences school culture and climate, instruction, and students' academic, personal, and emotional development (Sackney et al., 2000). It also affects the stability of the workforce. Yet wellness has not been systematically explored within the field of education (Sackney et al., 2000), and teachers are often unaware of the few outlets that exist to explore their personal and emotional needs, such as counseling services, physical wellness memberships, and social support groups (Taxer & Frenzel, 2015). Clearly, there is a need for more emphasis on educators' well-being. The authors define educator wellness along eight dimensions described by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: emotional, environmental, intellectual, physical, social, spiritual, occupational, and financial. The authors describe the relevance of these eight dimensions for educators and some strategies to address them.

A breeding population of Aplomado Falcons (Falco femoralis) remains in the desert grasslands of Chihuahua, Mexico, despite their extirpation in the nearby southwestern United States. We monitored falcon reproduction at 35 territories during 1996-2002, a period of severe drought in the region. To test the influence of prey abundance and vegetation on falcon reproduction, we surveyed avian prey abundance through plot counts in 1998-2002 and characterized vegetation at each plot. Aplomado Falcon productivity declined from 1.57 fledglings per occupied territory in 1997 to 0.63 in 2002 at the larger of two study areas, a trend consistent with cumulative effects of consecutive years of low rainfall. Reproduction in the smaller area remained low throughout the study. Both productivity and incubation start date were significantly associated with prey bird abundance. Summer rain most likely influenced falcon reproduction by affecting seed abundance and therefore abundance of granivorous prey birds the following winter and spring. Falcons nested in open grasslands with sparse woody vegetation, an adaptation likely related to higher prey vulnerability and fewer predators. However, important prey birds were positively correlated with woody-plant density, which suggests that proximity of shrublands increased nest-site suitability. Received 17 October 2003, accepted 23 February 2004.

A competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) based on monoclonal antibodies was developed to measure nicotine in smoke condensates of cigarettes. The ELISA standard curve displays a detection limit of 70 ng/mL and an effective working range of 0.3-4.0 micron g of nicotine/mL. Using standard samples, ELISA results compare well with theoretical values (r = 0.997). The suitability of the method for industrial routine application was evaluated by measuring the nicotine concentration in 245 cigarette smoke condensates. When ELISA results were compared with those obtained by gas chromatography, a correlation coefficient r = 0.886 was obtained. The assay allows the specific, precise, and accurate determination of nicotine, without any significant interference from other alkaloids also present in tobacco smoke. Preliminary data suggest that the immunoassay could also be applied to other matrices, e.g., tobacco extracts. ELISA equipment requirements are minimum, simple, and low-cost, and an unskilled person could perform 150 analysis in a working day. On the basis of these features, ELISA is proposed as a promising alternative to instrumental methods for some industrial applications.

Piracy (kleptoparasitism) accounted for 14% of observed foraging attempts on vertebrates (n = 125) by Aplomado Falcons (Falco femoralis) in southern Texas and northern Mexico, and was over twice as successful as hunting (82% versus 37%). Aplomado Falcons pirated prey cooperatively as well as individually. Eight bird species were targeted for piracy, six of which were as large or larger than the falcons. The majority of prey items stolen were mammals. Received 10 December 2002, accepted 12 March 2003., Piracy (kleptoparasitism) has been documented for many birds, particularly those living in open landscapes (Paulson 1985) and has been reported for 12 of 39 species of falcons (Cade 1982, Brockmann [...]