“Your Guide to Tree Adventure”: Interpretive Panel and Guidebook Design

In honor of Out-on-a-Limb’s 10th anniversary, this project provides supplementary interpretation at the Arboretum about tree morphology. In addition to creating an activity booklet designed to encourage visitors with children to see different corners of the Arboretum, I also created three interpretive panels intended to walk a visitor through the parts of a tree. These panels are titled “Don’t leave without looking,” “Every ring tells a story,” and “Getting to the root of things.

Bounty in the Bering Strait: a case for proactive regulation in the world's next chokepoint

Thesis (M.A.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2015This thesis analyzes trends in waterborne trade throughout history to demonstrate that the Bering Strait will soon become a chokepoint of international trade. Scientific studies suggest that the accelerating effects of global warming in the Arctic will result in ice-free routes in the coming decades. Given the likelihood that vessel traffic through the Bering Strait will rise, this thesis assesses the region's ecological vulnerability, along with its significant commercial and cultural values. The history of shipping regulation worldwide and commercial regulation in the Bering Sea reveals a tendency to enact regulation in response to a major oil spill or species depletion. To ensure the food security of Native coastal communities and the productivity of commercial fisheries in the Bering Sea, this thesis argues for a proactive approach to vessel traffic regulation in the Bering Strait. It examines several current regulatory regimes to identify which could be enacted to protect the region's resources. This thesis concludes that, despite barriers to cooperation between Russia and the U.S., a cross-border management regime that promotes safe shipping through the Bering Strait would further both nations' economic interests and safeguard the Bering Sea's valuable yet vulnerable marine resources.Introduction -- Literature Review -- The History of Maritime Trade -- Chokepoints of Trade -- Analyses of Arctic Shipping -- Bounty in the Bering Sea -- Regulation in the Bering Strait -- Methodology -- Chapter One: A brief history of maritime trade, the importance of chokepoints and the inevitable rise of vessel traffic through the Bering Strait -- Introduction -- Waterborne Trade -- The Growth of Civilizations -- The First Maritime Empires -- The Spread of Transoceanic Trade -- The Importance of Geography -- Advantages of Ocean vs. Land Transport -- Geography and Power -- Chokepoints to Maritime Trade -- Chokepoints at Risk -- Arctic Alternatives -- Northeast and Northwest Passages -- Global Warming and Thawing Shipping Lanes -- The Allure of the Northeast Passage -- The Bering Strait as a Future Chokepoint -- International Interest in the Arctic -- Commercial Viability of the Arctic -- Oil and Gas Arctic Shipping -- Discussion -- Conclusion -- Chapter Two: Assessing present values in the Bering Sea and past regulatory trends worldwide to make the case for proactive regulation in the Bering Strait -- Introduction -- The Bering Sea Ecosystem -- Historical Value -- Land Bridge Migrations, First Settlements, and Subsistence Trends -- Current Value -- Subsistence Habits and Food Security in Coastal Communities -- Subsistence Species Threatened by Global Warming -- Introduction of Cash Economies and Store-Bought Foods -- Bering Sea Fishery -- History of Commercial Endeavors in the Bering Sea -- Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries: Marine Mammal Harvesting -- Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries: Bering Sea Fisheries -- Threats to the Bering Sea Fisheries and Subsistence Resources Posed by Shipping -- Oil and Gas Spills -- Ship Strikes -- Noise -- Pollution -- Discussion -- Overharvesting of Marine Resources -- Oil Spills and Subsequent Regulations -- Conclusion -- Chapter Three: Proposed solutions, regulatory options, and economic incentives for cooperation between Russia and the U.S. in the Bering Strait -- Introduction -- Local Concerns and Recommended Regulations -- Mandatory vs. Voluntary Regulations -- Legal Frameworks for the Arctic Ocean -- United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) -- International Maritime Organization (IMO) -- The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) -- Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas -- Polar Code -- Regulatory Gap -- Potential for Cross-Border U.S.-Russia Collaboration -- The Redistribution of State Power and the Rise of NGOs -- Russia-Norway Collaboration -- U.S.-Canada Collaboration -- Past and Present U.S.-Russia Relations -- Arctic Ambitions -- Russia -- United States -- Discussion -- Conclusion -- Bibliography

FOLATE EXPOSURE AND ALLERGIC DISEASE RISK IN THE UNITED STATES

Introduction: The prevalence of allergic disease has dramatically increased in recent years, and while many theories abound, the reasons for this “allergy epidemic” are largely unknown. One potential nutritional risk factor is folate exposure, as this nutrient is known to be involved in DNA methylation, and population-wide increases in exposure to folate are temporally related to the recent increase in allergic disease. Methods: We first performed a cross-sectional study in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to determine whether the recent increase in self-reported food allergy has been associated with a concomitant increase in allergic sensitization (sIgE>0.35 ku/L) to foods. We then performed a nested case-control study within the Boston Birth Cohort (BBC) to examine the association between total folate, 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF), and unmetabolized folic acid (UMFA) at birth/early life and the development of food sensitization and food allergy. Finally, we performed a cross-sectional study in NHANES to investigate whether 5-MTHF and UMFA are associated with asthma-related outcomes in U.S. children and adults. Results: Between 1988-1994 and 2005-2006, we interestingly found that there were no significant changes in the prevalence of milk, egg or peanut sensitization, and shrimp sensitization markedly decreased among individuals in NHANES. We further found that in the BBC, higher levels of UMFA were strongly associated with the development of FA (OR 9.0; 95%CI 1.8-45.3; p=0.008. Finally, we found that in children enrolled in NHANES, higher levels of UMFA were independently associated with a higher odds of wheeze, whereas in adults, higher levels of total serum folate levels were associated with decreased odds of asthma-related outcomes, and this appears to be attributable to 5-MTHF. Conclusion: While the prevalence of self-reported food allergy has increased in recent years, this has not been accompanied by an increase in the biologic marker of food allergy, food-specific serum IgE (sIgE), in NHANES. We further found that the relationship between folate and allergic disease is likely very complex. Whereas in utero exposure to UMFA, which is uniquely derived from synthetic folic acid, may be a risk factor for the development of food allergy in the BBC, 5-MTHF, the principle folate metabolite involved in DNA synthesis, methylation, and homocysteine regulation, was protective for asthma-related outcomes in adults enrolled in NHANES

Projecting population and labour market trends in rural areas.

End of Project ReportThis purpose of this project is to develop a spatial model to project population and labour market variables at the small area level in Ireland. The model is called SMILE (Simulation Model for the Irish Local Economy) and is a static and dynamic spatial microsimulation model. Microsimulation attempts to describe economic and social events by modelling the behaviour of individual agents such as persons or firms. Microsimulation models have proved useful in evaluating the impact of policy changes at the micro level. Spatial microsimulation models contain information on geographic units and allow for a regional or local approach to policy analysis. SMILE is based on modelling work on urban systems and employs similar techniques for analysing rural areas. The static model creates a spatially referenced synthetic population of Ireland. Each individual enumerated in the 1991 Census of Population is synthetically constructed and is assigned 11 census characteristics including a District Electoral Division (DED) location. The dynamic element incorporated in SMILE ages the synthetic population by modelling demographic processes including fertility, mortality and internal migration. The dynamic process is used to project population in the medium term; it ages the synthetic 1991 population to 1996. For validation purposes, these 1996 projections are then compared to the 1996 Census of Population. The same process was used to project between the 1996 and the 2002 Census of Population. The results indicate that the accuracy at DED and county level is within acceptable limits. The model will be extended in the next three years, beginning in 2003, with additions including validating individual attributes such as employment status and social class and also including households in the model. This project has created a basic model that can be expanded and developed in the future

Dragging Affordances

Panel discussion with Elly Clarke, Ofri Cnaani, Adrian Heathfield, and Emily Rosamon

The effectiveness of psychodynamic therapy in an NHS psychotherapy service: outcomes for service-users with complex presentations

© 2024 The Association for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy in the Public Sector. This is the accepted manuscript version of an article which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1080/02668734.2023.2295437Complex and enduring mental health problems require greater treatment resources, usually in the form of multidisciplinary support, including providing psychological therapies. This paper reports on an NHS, tertiary-level specialist psychotherapy service offering Psychodynamic therapies with longer-term, exploratory transdiagnostic approaches to support complexity and sustained personality functioning. This paper adopts a naturalistic study design evaluating the effectiveness of Psychodynamic therapy using pre- and post-outcomes across a 10-year period. A total of n = 474 participants self-report pre- and post-outcome measures were used as the marker of effectiveness along with therapist assessments during intake and engagement. The findings showed that Psychodynamic therapy was effective in reducing psychological distress based on service-user self-report and therapist assessments. While intake scores varied by socio-demographic factors, the rate of change across most groups was similar. There were several limitations relating to data quality and completeness which reflect the naturalistic design. Despite the limits of a naturalistic design, this study provides evidence of support for the place of Psychodynamic therapies within NHS mental health care, catering to those with complex and enduring mental health problems.Peer reviewe

Mitomycin C versus 5-Fluorouracil for wound healing in glaucoma surgery.

BACKGROUND: Raised intraocular pressure is a risk factor for glaucoma. One treatment option is glaucoma drainage surgery (trabeculectomy). Antimetabolites are used during surgery to reduce postoperative scarring during wound healing. Two agents in common use are mitomycin C (MMC) and 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU). OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of MMC compared to 5-FU as an antimetabolite adjunct in trabeculectomy surgery. SEARCH METHODS: We searched CENTRAL (which contains the Cochrane Eyes and Vision Group Trials Register) (2015 Issue 9), Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid MEDLINE In-Process and Other Non-Indexed Citations, Ovid MEDLINE Daily, Ovid OLDMEDLINE (January 1946 to October 2015), EMBASE (January 1980 to October 2015), Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature Database (LILACS) (January 1982 to October 2015), the ISRCTN registry (www.isrctn.com/editAdvancedSearch), ClinicalTrials.gov (www.clinicaltrials.gov) and the World Health Organization (WHO) International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) (www.who.int/ictrp/search/en). We did not use any date or language restrictions in the electronic searches for trials. We last searched the electronic databases on 2 October 2015. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised controlled trials where wound healing had been modified with MMC compared to 5-FU. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently selected trials and collected data. The primary outcome was failure of a functioning trabeculectomy one year after surgery. Secondary outcomes included mean intraocular pressure at one year. We considered three subgroups: high risk of trabeculectomy failure (people with previous glaucoma surgery, extracapsular cataract surgery, African origin and people with secondary glaucoma or congenital glaucoma); medium risk of trabeculectomy failure (people undergoing trabeculectomy with extracapsular cataract surgery) and low risk of trabeculectomy failure (people who have received no previous surgical eye intervention). MAIN RESULTS: We identified 11 trials that enrolled 687 eyes of 679 participants. The studies were conducted in the United States, Europe, Asia and Africa. Five studies enrolled participants at low risk of trabeculectomy failure, five studies enrolled participants at high risk of failure, and one study enrolled people with both high and low risk of failure. None of the included trials enrolled participants with combined trabeculectomy/cataract surgery.We considered one study to be at low risk of bias in all domains, six studies to be at high risk of bias in one or more domains, and the remaining four studies to be at an unclear risk of bias in all domains.The risk of failure of trabeculectomy at one year after surgery was less in those participants who received MMC compared to those who received 5-FU, however the confidence intervals were wide and are compatible with no effect (risk ratio (RR) 0.54, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.30 to 1.00; studies = 11; I(2) = 40%). There was no evidence for any difference between groups at high and low risk of failure (test for subgroup differences P = 0.69).On average, people treated with MMC had lower intraocular pressure at one year (mean difference (MD) -3.05 mmHg, 95% CI -4.60 to -1.50), but the studies were inconsistent (I(2) = 52%). The size of the effect was greater in the high-risk group (MD -4.18 mmHg, 95% CI -6.73 to -1.64) compared to the low-risk group (MD -1.72 mmHg, 95% CI -3.28 to -0.16), but again the test for interaction was not statistically significant (P = 0.11).Similar proportions of eyes treated with MMC lost 2 or more lines of visual acuity one year after surgery compared to 5-FU, but the confidence intervals were wide (RR 1.05, 95% CI 0.54 to 2.06).Adverse events occurred relatively rarely, and estimates of effect were generally imprecise. There was some evidence for less epitheliopathy in the MMC group (RR 0.23, 95% CI 0.11 to 0.47) and less hyphaema in the MMC group (RR 0.62, 95% CI 0.42 to 0.91).None of the studies reported quality of life.Overall, we graded the quality of the evidence as low largely because of risk of bias in the included studies and imprecision in the estimate of effect. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: We found low-quality evidence that MMC may be more effective in achieving long-term lower intraocular pressure than 5-FU. Further comparative research on MMC and 5-FU is needed to enhance reliability and validity of the results shown in this review. Furthermore, the development of new agents that control postoperative scar tissue formation without side effects would be valuable and is justified by the results of this review

Exploring the Role of Extracellular Vesicles in Equine Musculoskeletal Pathologies and Associated Regenerative Therapies

Horses are used in a variety of disciplines, including dressage, show jumping, eventing and racing. Thus, the equine athlete is predisposed to the development of musculoskeletal injury. Both equine osteoarthritis and tendon injury are significant causes of pain, lameness and are equine welfare concerns. Osteoarthritis and tendon injuries are usually diagnosed at late stage and treatment includes biological therapies, such as mesenchymal stem cell and platelet-rich plasma therapy. These therapeutics often produce variable clinical outcomes and their mechanistic action is not well characterised. It is hypothesised that extracellular vesicles may be involved in mediating the effect of biological therapies, and could offer a viable cell-free alternative therapeutic. The aims of this thesis were as follows; (1) To investigate extracellular vesicle structure and protein cargo from a longitudinal in vivo model of equine osteoarthritis treated with mesenchymal stem cells, in order to determine disease-associated extracellular vesicle cargo, and their potential role in mediating mesenchymal stem cell therapy. (2) Explore the differences in composition of extracellular vesicles from healthy horses and those with clinically diagnosed osteoarthritis using both spectroscopic and spectrometric techniques. (3) Explore the composition of platelet-rich plasma and platelet-rich plasma derived extracellular vesicles using mass spectrometry proteomics. (4) Investigate the effect of platelet-rich plasma and platelet-rich plasma derived extracellular vesicles in an in vitro model of equine tendon injury, using mass spectrometry proteomics and gene expression analysis. Extracellular vesicles were characterised and a range of spectroscopic and spectrometric techniques used including mass spectrometry. This thesis has catalogued extracellular vesicle cargo from synovial fluid in both an in vivo models of equine osteoarthritis (carpal osteochondral fragment model) and naturally occurring disease. As some protein content can be attributed to disease progression they could serve as potential biomarkers used in the development of diagnostic tests to aid earlier diagnosis and intervention in osteoarthritis. Further to this, my work has identified altered cargo in association with extracellular vesicles following mesenchymal stem cell treatment, and cellular cargo following platelet-rich plasma derived extracellular vesicle treatment, emphasising their role as mediators of therapy and their capacity to serve as future therapeutics. Therefore, they might be considered as a viable therapeutic alternative that warrants further investigation in the case of mesenchymal stem cell therapy, in order to deliver a safer more reproducible therapeutic. With respect to platelet-rich plasma, extracellular vesicles should be considered when optimising the composition of platelet-rich plasma for more efficacious outcomes, or considered as an alternative to platelet rich plasma

Inflammatory Mechanisms of Neurodegeneration in Toxin-Based Models of Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) has been associated with exposure to a variety of environmental agents, including pesticides, heavy metals, and organic pollutants; and inflammatory processes appear to constitute a common mechanistic link among these insults. Indeed, toxin exposure has been repeatedly demonstrated to induce the release of oxidative and inflammatory factors from immunocompetent microglia, leading to damage and death of midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons. In particular, proinflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-α and interferon-γ, which are produced locally within the brain by microglia, have been implicated in the loss of DA neurons in toxin-based models of PD; and mounting evidence suggests a contributory role of the inflammatory enzyme, cyclooxygenase-2. Likewise, immune-activating bacterial and viral agents were reported to have neurodegenerative effects themselves and to augment the deleterious impact of chemical toxins upon DA neurons. The present paper will focus upon the evidence linking microglia and their inflammatory processes to the death of DA neurons following toxin exposure. Particular attention will be devoted to the possibility that environmental toxins can activate microglia, resulting in these cells adopting a “sensitized” state that favors the production of proinflammatory cytokines and damaging oxidative radicals