Central Texas Region Research Articles

Social and built environmental factors associated with adult asthma hospital admission in the North Central Texas

Asthma, one of the most common chronic diseases of adults and children, is an important public health concern. The cause of asthma is thought to be a combination of genetic and environmental factors, and a growing body of research has investigated the possible geographic and contextual factors that contribute to asthma prevalence. However, few studies have incorporated geographic and environmental variables into their designs, despite evidence that geography is associated with asthma exacerbation. Additionally, studies of asthma exacerbations among adults are limited. The situation regarding asthma is particularly concerning in North Central Texas (NCT) compared to the national context. In light of this, we analyzed the geographic variation of approximately 12,000 adult patients hospitalized for asthma in the North Central Texas Region, and their association with built environmental features such as land use types, dwelling characteristics, exposure to traffic parameters at the Census Block Group (CBG) level, and pollutant concentrations in the relevant counties for the year 2014. We applied the Hierarchical Linear Model (HLM), and our analysis indicates that there are significant health disparities in the region. We found that the adult asthma hospitalization rate is significantly higher in low-income, low-education neighborhoods with a significant Black population. Furthermore, factors such as increased travel distance to work and substandard dwelling conditions have been found to trigger an increase in hospital visits for asthma patients. Conversely, the presence of greenspace in the surrounding area has been found to help reduce the frequency of asthma-related hospital visits. It is worth noting that both indoor and outdoor environmental quality contribute to adult asthma hospitalizations. Overall, our study highlights the importance of considering geographic and environmental factors in understanding the prevalence and exacerbation of asthma. Our findings suggest that targeted interventions, such as improving indoor and outdoor environmental quality and increasing access to greenspace, may help reduce the burden of asthma in high-risk communities.

Higher levels of virulence to multiple resistance genes were detected in Hessian fly (Mayetiola destructor) populations from Texas

AbstractHessian fly is an important pest of wheat worldwide and is of particular importance in Texas and the southeastern United States. Texas is the highest wheat‐producing state that is severely impacted by this insect. The most effective control in these areas is an integrated pest management program, including resistant varieties of wheat. Hessian fly populations are genetically diverse and can rapidly become virulent to specific resistance genes once they are widely deployed in a region. Knowing the current virulence status of regional fly populations is important for wheat breeders and producers. In this study, a virulence analysis was conducted on populations sampled in the northeastern and central Texas regions. This analysis showed that resistance genes H12, H13, H20, H22, H25, H26, H28, H29, H32, H33, H34, and Hdic are still highly effective in these regions. However, it is also evident that Texas fly populations have become more virulent to existing genes in the past 10 years, with very high levels of virulence to resistance genes H3, H5, vH6, H7/H8, H9, H10, H14, H15, H23, H24, H31, and H35/H36.

Pediatric appendicitis in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic: A retrospective chart review.

AimConduct a time trend analysis that describes 2 groups of patients admitted to a large tertiary children's hospital that presented with appendicitis and determine if there was an increase in complicated appendicitis when compared between 2 time periods before and during the early coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic of 2020.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective analysis of all children presenting to a single‐center site with appendicitis between March 23 and August 31, 2020, in the Central Texas region. We compared 507 patients presenting with appendicitis from the non‐COVID‐19 era in 2019 with n = 249 to patients presenting during the COVID time period with n = 258. All patients with appendicitis within those time periods were reviewed with analysis of various characteristics in regard to presentation, diagnosis of uncomplicated versus complicated appendicitis, and management outcomes.ResultsThere were no significant demographic differences or change in the number of appendicitis cases noted between the 2 time periods of comparison. There was no significant difference in rates of complicated appendicitis or presentation time following symptom onset between the 2 eras. There was no significant difference in intraoperative or postoperative complications. There was a statistically significant increase in the use of computed tomography (CT) scans (P‐value = 0.004) with patients 1.81 times more likely to have a CT scan in the pandemic era after adjusting for patient‐level factors. The effect of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 status on outcomes was not part of the data analysis.ConclusionOur study is the largest to date examining appendicitis complications in the era of COVID. In the time of the COVID‐19 pandemic, we found no delay in presentation in children presenting to the emergency department and no increase in complicated appendicitis. We did identify an increase in the use of CT scans for definitive diagnosis of appendicitis noted in the pandemic era. Although COVID‐19 status was not studied, the finding of increased CT use for a definitive diagnosis of appendicitis was a distinctive finding of this study showing a change in practice in pediatric emergency medicine.

The flora of Erath County, Texas, U.S.A.

Knowledge of county floras in Texas is crucial for determining species composition, management, preservation, and restoration across the state. Like most Texas counties, floristic data for Erath County, Texas, is poorly known. The objectives of this investigation were to compile a flora for Erath County, determine the intro-duced, endemic, threatened, and endangered species, as well as make comparisons to the county’s original flora and that of the North Central Texas region. Field work was conducted from September 2003 to December 2009 at 35 sites in Erath County. In addition herbaria were searched to locate specimens from Erath County. A total of 870 species (888 taxa) were identified in 103 families. One hundred forty-four taxa were introduced while 744 taxa were native. Eighteen of the species are Texas endemics. There were two rare plants, Dalea reverchonii and Penstemon guadalupensis, but no threatened or endangered plants were found during the inves-tigation. Four state-listed noxious species were collected during the investigation—Arundo donax (giant reed), Convolvulus arvensis (field bindweed), Tamarix chinensis, and T. gallica (salt-cedars).

PSXI-29 Effects of feed restriction on blood constituent concentrations in hair sheep

Abstract Forty-six Dorper, 47 Katahdin, and 41 St. Croix female sheep (initial body weight of 62, 62, and 51 kg, respectively, SEM=1.43; 3.8±0.18 yr of age) from 45 commercial farms in Midwest, Northwest, Southeast, and central Texas regions of the United States were used to evaluate effects of feed restriction on concentrations of blood constituents. A 50% concentrate pelleted diet was fed, with the amount varied in the first 4 wk to achieve stable BW. The amount of feed offered in wk 5–10 was set at 55% of that consumed in wk 3–4. Blood was sampled at the end of wk 3, 4, 6, 8, and 10, with constituent levels in wk 4 and 10 assumed relevant to conditions with different maintenance energy requirements (i.e., fed at maintenance and approximately 43% lower with restricted intake). There were some differences among breeds such as ones based on samples collected at all times in urea nitrogen (14.0, 13.7, and 15.4 mg/dl; SEM=0.31) and creatinine (0.945, 0.836, and 0.809 mg/dl for Dorper, Katahdin, and St. Croix, respectively; SEM=0.0253) but relatively few among regions and only one interaction between week and breed or region. There was a trend for a difference (P = 0.051) between wk 4 and 10 in the concentration of glucose (51.9 and 54.2 mg/dl; SEM=0.90), and there were differences (P < 0.05) in levels of lactate (23.9 and 20.3 mg/dl; SEM=0.89), urea N (16.4 and 13.0 mg/dl; SEM= 0.25), creatinine (0.808 and 0.919 mg/dl; SEM=0.0165), triglycerides (31.8 and 25.5 mg/dl; SEM=0.63), cholesterol (67.5 and 74.7 mg/dl; SEM=1.66), and cortisol (10.55 and 8.31 ng/ml for wk 4 and 10, respectively; SEM=0.0542). In conclusion, similar responses of different hair sheep breeds in blood constituent levels to feed restriction is in accordance with comparable effects on body weight and the maintenance energy requirement previously reported.

Effects of restricted feed intake on blood constituent concentrations in Dorper, Katahdin, and St. Croix sheep from different regions of the USA

Forty-six Dorper, 47 Katahdin, and 41 St. Croix female sheep (initial BW = 62, 62, and 51 kg, respectively, SEM = 1.43; 3.8 ± 0.18 yr) from farms in Midwest, Northwest, Southeast, and central Texas regions of the USA were used to evaluate effects of feed restriction on blood constituent levels. The amount of feed offered varied in the first 4 wk to achieve stable BW, and that in wk 5–10 was 55% of intake in wk 3–4. Blood was sampled at the end of wk 3, 4, 6, 8, and 10. There were relatively few effects and interactions involving region and no breed × time interactions. Breed affected the concentration of a small number of constituents, including urea N (14.0, 13.7, and 15.4 mg/dl; SEM = 0.31) and creatinine (0.945, 0.836, and 0.809 mg/dl for Dorper, Katahdin, and St. Croix, respectively; SEM = 0.0253). Also, the concentration of triglycerides in wk 4 and 10 was lowest for St. Croix (29.8, 29.5, and 26.7 mg/dl for Dorper, Katahdin, and St. Croix, respectively; SEM = 0.88). There was a trend for a difference (P = 0.051) between wk 4 and 10 in the glucose concentration (51.9 and 54.2 mg/dl; SEM = 0.90), and there were differences (P < 0.05) in lactate (23.9 and 20.3 mg/dl; SEM = 0.89), urea N (16.4 and 13.0 mg/dl; SEM = 0.25), creatinine (0.808 and 0.919 mg/dl; SEM = 0.0165), triglycerides (31.8 and 25.5 mg/dl; SEM = 0.63), and cholesterol (67.5 and 74.7 mg/dl, respectively; SEM = 1.66). In conclusion, similar responses in blood constituent levels of different hair sheep breeds to feed restriction is in accordance with comparable effects on the maintenance energy requirement.

Changes in Mass Treatment of the Canine Parvovirus ICU Population in Relation to Public Policy Changes during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Previous work has indicated that canine parvovirus (CPV) prevalence in the Central Texas region may follow yearly, periodic patterns. The peak in CPV infection rates occurs during the summer months of May and June, marking a distinct “CPV season”. We hypothesized that human activity contributes to these seasonal changes in CPV infections. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in drastic changes in human behavior which happened to synchronize with the CPV season in Central Texas, providing a unique opportunity with which to assess whether these society-level behavioral changes result in appreciable changes in CPV patient populations in the largest CPV treatment facility in Texas. In this work, we examine the population of CPV-infected patients at a large, dedicated CPV treatment clinic in Texas (having treated more than 5000 CPV-positive dogs in the last decade) and demonstrate that societal–behavioral changes due to COVID-19 were associated with a drastic reduction in CPV infections. This reduction occurred precisely when CPV season would typically begin, during the period immediately following state-wide “reopening” of business and facilities, resulting in a change in the typical CPV season when compared with previous years. These results provide evidence that changes in human activity may, in some way, contribute to changes in rates of CPV infection in the Central Texas region.

Decrease in Stroke Diagnoses During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Where Did All Our Stroke Patients Go?

Despite the evidence suggesting a high rate of cerebrovascular complications in patients with SARS-CoV-2, reports have indicated decreasing rates of new ischemic stroke diagnoses during the COVID-19 pandemic. The observed decrease in emergency department (ED) visits is unsurprising during this major crisis, as patients are likely to prioritize avoiding exposure to SARS-CoV-2 over addressing what they may perceive as mild symptoms of headache, lethargy, difficulty speaking, and numbness. In the central and south Texas regions where we practice, we suspect that patient admission, treatment, and discharge volumes for acute stroke treatment have decreased significantly since COVID-19–related shelter-at-home orders were issued. Symptoms of stroke are frequently noticed by a family member, friend, or community member before they are recognized by the patients themselves, and these symptoms may be going unnoticed due to limited face-to-face encounters. This possibility emphasizes the importance of patient education regarding stroke warning signs and symptoms during the current period of isolation and social-distancing. The south Texas population, already saddled with above-average rates of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, has a higher stroke mortality rate compared to Texas and U.S. averages; however, the number of patients presenting to EDs with acute ischemic stroke diagnoses is lower than average. In our viewpoint, we aim to present the relative literature to date and outline our ongoing analyses of the highly affected and diverse stroke populations in San Antonio and Austin, Texas, to answer a simple question: where did all our stroke patients go?

Willingness to Pay for a Specialty Blend Compost Product Developed from Brown Seaweed Harvested from Coastal Regions in Texas

Composting is the biological decomposition of organic materials, such as plant tissue, food scraps, paper, animal fodder, and wood chips. The end-product, compost, is a beneficial soil amendment because it can contain a diversity of beneficial microorganisms, has high nutrient and water-holding capacities, can increase total soil porosity, and contains essential plant nutrients that improve soil productivity. Coastal regions of the Gulf of Mexico, as well as the Atlantic and European shorelines, have witnessed a proliferation of brown seaweed (Sargassum sp.). When piled on beaches, tourism appeal is reduced, threatening the local economy. When amassed offshore, thick brown seaweed mats can hinder fishing. Excessive decomposition rates can lead to eutrophication, which threatens coastal areas economically and environmentally. Despite these problems, seaweed may be considered a valuable compost ingredient. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to conduct a market test to determine the potential value of a seaweed-incorporated compost to consumers in Texas and to identify attributes of likely consumers. A marketing survey was developed and distributed to gardeners in the central and south Texas regions. Contingent valuation questions measured participants’ willingness to pay for the seaweed compost products. Participants were able to see, smell, and touch a sample of the compost while completing the survey. Despite 92% of respondents ranking themselves as inexperienced in compost behavior, results indicated a potential for a specialty, competitively priced seaweed-incorporated compost to be introduced to the market. Respondents were most willing to pay $4.00/ft3 to $5.00/ft3 for seaweed-incorporated compost. Additionally, participants who responded positively to buying local, buying compost in the past, having positive environmental attitudes, and buying American were more likely to pay more for the seaweed-incorporated compost. There was not an obvious pattern between willingness to pay for seaweed-incorporated compost and demographic responses.

A quantitative assessment of intraspecific morphological variation in Gahagan bifaces from the southern Caddo area and central Texas

ABSTRACTThis investigation aggregates intact or reconstructed Gahagan bifaces from the southern Caddo area and central Texas to test the hypothesis that Gahagan biface morphology differs between the regions. The Gahagan bifaces (n=102) were scanned, then analyzed using a novel landmarking protocol and the tools of geometric morphometrics. Results provide a preview of the significant differences in Gahagan biface morphology expressed between the southern Caddo area and central Texas regions. The size discrepancy represents an inversion of current theoretical constructs that posit a decrease in tool size thought to articulate with an increase in distance from the raw material source. It is posited that the contrasting morphologies represent two discrete communities of practice; one (emergent Caddo horticulturalists) where Gahagan bifaces were enlisted primarily for burial and ritualistic activities, and the other (central Texas hunter-gatherers) where Gahagan bifaces were utilized over a longer time span in more practical and utilitarian contexts.

PSX-8 Effects of hair sheep breed and region of origin on feed dry matter required for maintenance without and with a marked feed restriction

Abstract Effects of hair sheep breed and region of origin on feed required for maintenance without and with a substantial restriction were determined with 46 Dorper, 47 Katahdin, and 41 St. Croix females (initial BW of 62, 62, and 51 kg, respectively, SEM=1.43; 3.8±0.18 yr of age, 1.2–11.7) from 45 commercial farms in midwest, northwest, southeast, and central Texas regions of the USA. A 50% concentrate pelleted diet was fed, with the amount varied in the first 4 wk for stable BW and average DM intake in wk 3–4 relative to BW0.75 considered DM required for maintenance without restriction (DMm-m). Feed offered in wk 6–10 was 55% of DMm-m, with DM intake relative to BW0.75 in wk 9–10 considered the requirement with feed restriction (DMm-r). Region had little effect on any measure. The DMm-m was slightly greater (P &amp;lt; 0.05) for St. Croix than for Dorper and Katahdin (49.4, 48.9, and 50.9 g/kg BW0.75 for Dorper, Katahdin, and St. Croix, respectively; SEM=0.48). The decline in BW during the restriction phase was relatively small and similar among breeds (wk 9–10 vs. 3–4: 3.6, 3.2, and 2.9 kg for Dorper, Katahdin, and St. Croix, respectively; SEM=0.21). The DMm-r averaged 43% less than DMm-m, again being greater (P ≤ 0.056) for St. Croix than for Dorper and Katahdin (28.3, 27.9, and 29.1 g/kg BW0.75 for Dorper, Katahdin, and St. Croix, respectively; SEM=0.28). The DMm-m and DMm-r were highly related, indicating that animals would rank similarly at both levels of intake, and variation was similar among breeds. In conclusion, the amount of feed required for BW maintenance was greatest for St. Croix regardless of feed restriction, but differences were minor. The hair sheep exhibited considerable capacity for decreasing the feed requirement for maintenance when offered feed was markedly restricted.

Copula‐Based Convection‐Permitting Projections of Future Changes in Multivariate Drought Characteristics

AbstractProbabilistic projections of future drought characteristics play a crucial role in climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. This study presents a copula‐based probabilistic framework for projecting future changes in multivariable drought characteristics through convection‐permitting Weather Research and Forecasting simulations with 4‐km horizontal grid spacing. A probabilistic multivariate drought index is introduced to examine the joint effects of drought indicators with uncertainty intervals for four major river basins located in South Central Texas of the United States. Markov chain Monte Carlo is used to address uncertainties in assessing copula parameters and in predicting climate‐induced changes in hydrological regimes. Our findings reveal that the severity and intensity of drought episodes can be amplified when considering the compound effects of soil moisture and runoff regimes by using the probabilistic multivariate drought index. The South Central Texas region is projected to experience more drought events with shorter duration and higher intensity in a changing climate. The drought severity will not necessarily increase due to the decreasing drought duration. In addition, our findings indicate that the intensity of future droughts is expected to increase as a result of the deficiency of soil moisture even though precipitation extremes are projected to become more frequent. Moreover, climate change impacts on multivariate drought characteristics will intensify with the increasing temporal scales (i.e., short‐, medium‐, and long‐term droughts) although the number of future drought events may decrease by the end of this century.

Effects of hair sheep breed and region of origin on feed dry matter required for maintenance without and with a marked feed restriction

Effects of hair sheep breed and region of origin on feed required for maintenance without and with a substantial restriction were determined with 46 Dorper, 47 Katahdin, and 41 St. Croix females (initial BW of 62, 62, and 51 kg, respectively, SEM = 1.43; 3.8 ± 0.18 yr of age, 1.2–11.7) from 45 commercial farms in Midwest, Northwest, Southeast, and central Texas regions of the USA. A 50% concentrate pelleted diet was fed, with the amount varied in the first 4 wk for stable BW and average DM intake in wk 3–4 relative to BW0.75 considered DM required for maintenance without restriction (DMm-m). Feed offered in wk 6–10 was 55% of DMm-m, with DM intake relative to BW0.75 in wk 9–10 considered the requirement with feed restriction (DMm-r). Region had little effect on any measure. DMm-m was slightly greater (P < 0.05) for St. Croix than for Dorper and Katahdin (49.4, 48.9, and 50.9 g/kg BW0.75 for Dorper, Katahdin, and St. Croix, respectively; SEM = 0.48). The decline in BW during the restriction phase was relatively small and similar among breeds (wk 9–10 vs. 3–4: 3.6, 3.2, and 2.9 kg for Dorper, Katahdin, and St. Croix, respectively; SEM = 0.21). DMm-r averaged 43% less than DMm-m, again being greater (P ≤ 0.056) for St. Croix than for Dorper and Katahdin (28.3, 27.9, and 29.1 g/kg BW0.75 for Dorper, Katahdin, and St. Croix, respectively; SEM = 0.28). DMm-m and DMm-r were highly related, indicating that animals would rank similarly at both levels of intake, and variation was similar among breeds. In conclusion, the amount of feed required for BW maintenance was greatest for St. Croix regardless of feed restriction, but differences were minor. The hair sheep exhibited considerable capacity for decreasing the feed requirement for maintenance when offered feed was markedly restricted.

Roles revealed: An examination of the adopted roles of emergency managers in hazard mitigation planning and strategy implementation

Studies investigating hazard mitigation planning and strategy implementation have traditionally been examined from the perspective of individual planners and their agencies. Emergency management practitioners are generally engaged in comprehensive emergency management yet when compared to other phases of the disaster cycle, their role in hazard mitigation planning and strategy implementation is less well understood. Thirty emergency management coordinators from the North Central Texas region were interviewed to examine how they define their roles in hazard mitigation planning. Grounded theory analysis generated six themes regarding the broad roles they practice. While each role is essential to disaster risk reduction, the roles of administrator, collaborator, and coordinator were expressed by a greater number of study participants and suggest them to be of central importance to local hazard mitigation planning. Their proficiency at collaboration and coordination suggests emergency managers to be the ideal stakeholder to lead hazard mitigation planning, an activity that warrants the involvement and cooperation of multiple stakeholders.

Holocene vegetation and climate evolution of Corpus Christi and Trinity bays: Implications on coastal Texas source-to-sink deposition

The Texas coastline stretches 595km across almost 4° of latitude and is home to diverse coastal vegetation assemblages, yet only a handful of studies have documented the climate and vegetative change of this region through the Holocene. We provide a detailed palynological record of Holocene climate for coastal Texas, based upon three subaqueous sediment cores from Corpus Christi Bay and Trinity Bay. Cluster analysis and correspondence analysis were used to investigate changes in palynological assemblages through time within each core. Common to both bays are nonarboreal taxa including Asteraceae (mainly Ambrosia and Helianthus), Chenopodium, Poaceae, and arboreal taxa such as Carya, Pinus, and Quercus. Our record shows that the coastal environments of central Texas began a transition from herbaceous (nonarboreal) dominated vegetation to arboreal vegetation as early as 8.4ka within Corpus Christi Bay, and 3.8ka within Trinity Bay. We note flooding events at 8.2, 5.4, and 3.6ka in Corpus Christi Bay, and at 1.7, 1.2, and 0.8ka in Trinity Bay. These events were caused by storms, sea level changes including flooding of relict river terraces, and changes in sediment delivery to the bays. The pollen record also shows evidence for changes in fluvial discharge to Corpus Christi Bay at 4.1 and 2.2ka, and at 1.8ka in Trinity Bay. We also see Zea mays in Trinity Bay, indicating local Native American agriculture. We observe no significant changes during the middle Holocene Climatic Optimum, and subtle but not statistically significant evidence of more variable climate oscillations than other records from more interior sites in Texas available for the late Holocene. This indicates that coastal Texas’ climate has operated semi-independently from central Texas regions, and was primarily driven by a coast-wise gradient of precipitation and evapotranspiration.

Improving multisensor estimation of heavy-to-extreme precipitation via conditional bias-penalized optimal estimation

A new technique for merging radar precipitation estimates and rain gauge data is developed and evaluated to improve multisensor quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE), in particular, of heavy-to-extreme precipitation. Unlike the conventional cokriging methods which are susceptible to conditional bias (CB), the proposed technique, referred to herein as conditional bias-penalized cokriging (CBPCK), explicitly minimizes Type-II CB for improved quantitative estimation of heavy-to-extreme precipitation. CBPCK is a bivariate version of extended conditional bias-penalized kriging (ECBPK) developed for gauge-only analysis. To evaluate CBPCK, cross validation and visual examination are carried out using multi-year hourly radar and gauge data in the North Central Texas region in which CBPCK is compared with the variant of the ordinary cokriging (OCK) algorithm used operationally in the National Weather Service Multisensor Precipitation Estimator. The results show that CBPCK significantly reduces Type-II CB for estimation of heavy-to-extreme precipitation, and that the margin of improvement over OCK is larger in areas of higher fractional coverage (FC) of precipitation. When FC>0.9 and hourly gauge precipitation is >60mm, the reduction in root mean squared error (RMSE) by CBPCK over radar-only (RO) is about 12mm while the reduction in RMSE by OCK over RO is about 7mm. CBPCK may be used in real-time analysis or in reanalysis of multisensor precipitation for which accurate estimation of heavy-to-extreme precipitation is of particular importance.

Grass-Root Organisations, Intergovernmental Collaboration, and Emergency Preparedness: An Institutional Collective Action Approach

This paper examines the importance of grass-root emergency response groups in emergency preparedness. Consistent with the Institutional Collective Action framework, we highlight key constraints associated with local government strategies of mutual resource exchange and barriers to intergovernmental collaboration. We examine local governments’ emergency preparedness using survey data collected in the North Central Texas region. We employed a simple OLS analysis to determine mutual exchange and Poisson estimations on the likelihood of local governments receiving and providing external assistance. Findings showed that the presence of grass-root organisations in a jurisdiction is associated with emergency preparedness, highlighting the importance of norms of volunteerism. Local political institutions and participation in federally funded programmes also have an effect on local government decisions.

Crevice Interments Deconstructed

The discovery of two well preserved human crania in a crevice overlooking a spring fed creek near Austin, Texas, led to medico legal, archeological, and bioanthropological investigations aimed at understanding the context and biological affinity of the crania. Archeological excavations uncovered no evidence that the crania were interred in the crevice during prehistoric times. Skeletal analysis showed they were of Native American ancestry. Radiocarbon dating indicated they are contemporary to one another and probably date to the seventh or eighth century A.D. Measured stable isotopic rations of carbon ( 13 C/ 12 C) and nitrogen ( 15 N/ 14 N) derived from human bone collagen samples from the crania are not consistent with other burial populations from the region, having higher nitrogen values than all other comparative samples. The crania also showed polish from repeated handling and several of the molars in one cranium had been glued in place. Taken together, these lines of evidence suggest the crania were removed from an unknown locality outside the Central Texas region, kept in a private collection, and placed in the crevice recently.

Multi‐region response to conservation buffers targeted for northern bobwhite

AbstractWe coordinated a large‐scale evaluation of northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) population response to establishment of 9‐m to 37‐m linear patches (buffers) of native herbaceous vegetation along row‐crop field margins as part of the Conservation Reserve Program practice Habitat Buffers for Upland Birds (CP33). We compared northern bobwhite covey densities on 1,088 paired row‐crop fields with and without native herbaceous buffers in 13 states during autumn, 2006–2008. We used a 2‐stage random effects modeling approach that incorporates the effective area as an offset in generalized linear mixed models to assess regional relationships among autumn bobwhite covey densities and covariates of field type (i.e., fields with vs. without native herbaceous buffers), ecological region, year, survey week, and contracted vegetative cover (i.e., planting native grasses and forbs vs. establishing through natural regeneration). Covey density was correlated with year and interaction effects of field type and ecological region. The year effect suggested annual variation in covey densities, whereas the field type by ecological region interaction suggested covey response to buffers was dependent on spatial location, likely reflecting differences in buffer establishment, succession, and characteristics of the surrounding landscape among regions. Mean fitted covey density on fields across all survey sites was 0.047 (±0.008 bootstrap standard error [BSE]) and 0.031 coveys/ha (±0.003 BSE) on row‐crop fields with and without herbaceous buffers, respectively. Covey density was greater on fields with buffers relative to matched, comparison fields without buffers in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (241%;P &lt; 0.001) and both the eastern (123%;P &lt; 0.001) and western (60%;P = 0.01) portions of the Southeastern Coastal Plain region. Covey density was an order of magnitude greater in the central Texas region compared to other regions, but exhibited a small response to native herbaceous buffers, as did density of coveys in the Eastern Tallgrass Prairie and Central Hardwoods regions. Disproportionate response to buffers in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley and Southeastern Coastal Plain suggests native herbaceous habitats might be limiting during autumn in these regions, whereas lack of response in the Eastern Tallgrass Prairie, Central Hardwoods, and central Texas regions suggests that herbaceous habitat either was not limiting or buffers failed to provide adequate requirements for bobwhites during autumn. Selection of other habitats to meet security and thermoregulatory needs might have resulted in lack of response in these regions. Native herbaceous cover provided by buffers can provide critical habitat in row‐crop agricultural systems in some regions, and can contribute to regional population recovery objectives of the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative (NBCI). However, range‐wide NBCI recovery objectives will best be met through multiple conservation practices in row‐crop agricultural systems. © 2013 The Wildlife Society.

Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis of hunter–gatherers from the Coleman site, a Late Prehistoric cemetery in Central Texas

We report on a stable isotopic analysis of 17 hunter–gatherer burials from the Coleman site (41BX568), a Late Prehistoric Toyah Interval (700–350 years BP) occupation in Texas. Prior to our analysis, isotopic research on Toyah populations in Central Texas was represented by a single burial at site 41BX677. That burial showed an isotopic pattern suggestive of a diet heavily focused on CAM/C4 plants and C4 fauna. Coleman burials show a different pattern. While interpretations are complicated by high variability in the isotopic signatures of children and by differences in male and female diets possibly related to mate exchange, the 11 adult and adolescent burials at Coleman show a diet focused on C3 fauna and the use of both C3 and CAM/C4 plants. The moderate CAM/C4 plant use is a radical departure from a trend of increasing C3 plant use that characterized hunter–gatherers in this region for at least 6200 years prior to the start of the Toyah Interval. Protein sources among Coleman adults probably centered on deer, but also included high nitrogen (δ15N) animals, such as fish. Males seem to have differential access to these high nitrogen sources. Two different isotopic patterns, one reflecting a focus on C3 fauna and moderate use of CAM/C4 plants, and a second reflecting C4 fauna and extensive use of CAM/C4 plants, are represented during Toyah. While interpretations are complicated by small sample sizes, these two patterns could simply reflect temporal differences, different acquisition strategies based on availability, or hint at different subsistence strategies. It may also be the case that the 41BX677 individual represents an immigrant into the Central Texas region, one with a different isotopic history.