Chronographic tethering devices were used to investigate the effects of habitat type, prey type, tidal state and time of day on predation in the Damariscotta River, Maine (43°57' N, 69°35' W) and in St. Joseph Bay, Florida (30°00' N, 85°30' W). Traditional tethering data (presence/ absence) revealed that there were significant differences in the number of predation events between sites (p = 0.037) with more predation events occurring at the St. Joseph Bay site. In addition, there were significant differences in predation between prey types (p < 0.001). Regardless of site, significantly more 'soft' bodied prey types (shrimp) were removed than 'hard' bodied prey types (brachyuran crabs). Separating the data by site revealed that there were significant differences between habitat types (seagrass interior, seagrass edge and unvegetated substrate) at the Damariscotta River site (p = 0.027), but not at the St. Joseph Bay site (p = 0.943). Using the time to predation recorded on the chronographic tethering devices, survival times were calculated. Based on prey survival time, comparisons were made between predation intensity in monotypic stands of the seagrasses Zostera marina L. (Damariscotta River) and Thalassia testudinum (St. Joseph Bay), and bare substrate and the grass edge at both study sites. There were no significant differences in survival time between habitats at the Damariscotta River site (p = 0874). However, the average prey survival time was significantly less for the seagrass bed edge at the St. Joseph Bay site than for the T. testudinum bed interior and unvegetated habitats (p = 0.019). In addition, the time to predation allowed the effect of tidal state and light versus dark on predation to be assessed. While neither tidal state nor light versus dark had any effect on predation at the Damariscotta River site (p = 0.096 and p = 0.481 respectively), at the St. Joseph Bay site, there were significantly more predation events during the day than at night (p < 0.001), regardless of tidal state (p = 0.664). The use of the chronographic tethering devices revealed that while there was no significant difference in the number of predation events or rate of predation at the St. Joseph Bay site, the interface (i.e. 'edge') between bare or unvegetated substrates and seagrass assemblages was associated with the highest predation risks. KEY WORDS: Chronographic tethering · Edge effects · Predation · Thalassia testudinum · Zostera marinaResale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher

White suckers Catostomus commersoni were collected by electroshocking from Lake Taneycomo, a coldwater reservoir in southwest Missouri, to validate the use of otoliths as a yearly estimator of age. Otoliths (lapillae) were sectioned through the transverse plane for age estimation. Age validation was by edge analysis, whereby the formation of an annulus at the growing edge of the otolith was tracked throughout the year. Results indicated that only one annulus was formed per year. It was determined that otoliths are a reliable estimator of yearly age for white suckers age 2–18 in Lake Taneycomo.

, yielded 32 species and 7 genera. The invasive species Aedes albopictus and Ae. japonicus were dispersed widely in the state, but the survey failed to collect any Ae. aegypti. This note discusses the impact of changes in the Missouri mosquito fauna on the risk of human disease transmission.

Substance abuse is a significant public health problem among the homeless population in the United States. In this study, we sought to investigate the recent patterns of substance abuse among homeless people in the United States and estimate the prevalence of co-occurring mental illness in this population, using the substance use treatment episode data set for admissions (TEDS-A) during 2005 through 2015. Males and non-Hispanic Black Americans constituted a disproportionately high percentage of the admissions. Five substance groups accounted for 98.1% of primary substances reported between 2005 and 2015: alcohol (46%), opiates (24.6%), cocaine/crack (13%), methamphetamine (MA) (8.5%) and marijuana/hashish (6%). Though there was a decline in the proportion of admissions that reported alcohol abuse, alcohol was the most frequently reported substance of abuse at admission, while opioids (heroin and non-heroin opiates) were the most common illicit drug reported. Admissions due to opioid abuse showed a rising trend during the study period, increasing from 19.8% in 2005 to 30.3% in 2015. The proportion of admissions that reported current intravenous drug use also showed a marked increase from 17.4% in 2005 to 28.7% in 2015. The age of initiation to substance use reported for most admissions was 12-17 years and the most common primary substance reported in this age group was marijuana. We observed certain age effects on the type of substance abused in chi square analysis that was statistically significant (p < 0.0001). Our result suggests that marijuana was the preferred substance of abuse among adolescents aged 12-17 years, and with a transition from adolescence to adulthood, young people (18-34 years old) preferred to abuse other illicit drugs, notably opioids. As individuals moved into middle age andolder, alcohol became the most commonly abused substance. Approximately onethird of admissions of homeless people had a diagnosis of a mental illness in addition to a substance use problem.Substance abuse remains a significant problem among the homeless population in the United States. The changing pattern of substance abuse implies that more psychosocial and healthcare needs may arise. This has important implications in policy and service delivery designs to meet the growing needs of the homeless population. Healthcare service delivery design must inculcate a coordinated and integrated approach that emphasizes treatment of homeless people with substance abuse disordersand co-occurring mental illness in order to halt this growing menace.

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