Modeling Inundation to Identify Amphibian Habitats in a Restored Wetland

Wetlands provide habitat for multiple wildlife species as well as provide numerous ecosystem services such as flooding control along with nutrient and sediment sequestration. Wetlands have also suffered significant losses, over 80% in Kentucky since colonial settlement. Much of the historic tracts of bottomland hardwood forests found in western Kentucky have been lost, being converted to cropland. Restoration of degraded wetlands through programs such as the Wetlands Restoration Program (WRP) aim to restore the valuable habitat as well as ecosystem services these systems provide the greater area they reside. Whether restoration successfully restores the necessary habitat for species has been a question that remains largely dependent on the taxa of interest. Developing means of passively sampling wetlands through GIS and remote sensing could allow for greater insight into a wetlands value. One method of interest involves modeling the inundation of the easement, allowing one to visualize the distribution of individual pools within the larger wetland easement. For this project I am using 5ft digital elevation models (DEMs) to model various inundation levels for one of my study wetlands involved in my masters research. These models would allow for identification of ideal amphibian habitats, which often are not the deeper main pools, rather the side pools which are often missed in sampling efforts. These models may also help managers when developing restoration plans in order to maximize the diversity of habitat and pool size, increasing overall amphibian as well as biotic diversity gained from the restoration project

Paleoenvironmental interpretation of the Woodford Shale, Wyche Farm Shale Pit, Pontotoc County, Arkoma Basin, Oklahoma with primary focus on water column structure

M.S--University of Oklahoma, 2015.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 162-182)

Strategies of subcellular fractionation suitable for analysis of peroxisomes and microperoxisomes of animal tissues.

Strategies of subcellular fractionation are reviewed from the perspective of their utility in the analysis of peroxisomes. The considerable potential inherant in the method of rate dependent banding In zonal rotors is emphasized. The use of various density gradient solutes IS considered

How do pharmaceutical companies model survival of cancer patients? A review of NICE Single Technology Appraisals in 2017

Objectives Before an intervention is publicly funded within the United Kingdom, the cost-effectiveness is assessed by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE). The efficacy of an intervention across the patients’ lifetime is often influential of the cost-effectiveness analyses, but is associated with large uncertainties. We reviewed committee documents containing company submissions and evidence review group (ERG) reports to establish the methods used when extrapolating survival data, whether these adhered to NICE Technical Support Document (TSD) 14, and how uncertainty was addressed. Methods A systematic search was completed on the NHS Evidence Search webpage limited to single technology appraisals of cancer interventions published in 2017, with information obtained from the NICE Web site. Results Twenty-eight appraisals were identified, covering twenty-two interventions across eighteen diseases. Every economic model used parametric curves to model survival. All submissions used goodness-of-fit statistics and plausibility of extrapolations when selecting a parametric curve. Twenty-five submissions considered alternate parametric curves in scenario analyses. Six submissions reported including the parameters of the survival curves in the probabilistic sensitivity analysis. ERGs agreed with the company's choice of parametric curve in nine appraisals, and agreed with all major survival-related assumptions in two appraisals. Conclusions TSD 14 on survival extrapolation was followed in all appraisals. Despite this, the choice of parametric curve remains subjective. Recent developments in Bayesian approaches to extrapolation are not implemented. More precise guidance on the selection of curves and modelling of uncertainty may reduce subjectivity, accelerating the appraisal process

Subcellular localization of monoglyceride acyltransferase, xanthine oxidation, NADP: isocitrate dehydrogenase and alkaline phosphatase in the mucosa of the guinea-pig small intestine.

1. Rate dependent and isopycnic banding in a zonal rotor were used to analyse the subcellular sites of enzymes in homogenates of guinea-pig small intestinal mucosa. 2, The results demonstrate the following localizations: monoglyceride acyltransferase-microsomal; xanthine oxidase and dehydrogenase-soluble phase, and NADP: isocitrate dehydrogenase-soluble phase and mitochondrial. 3, Alkaline phosphatase is confined to brush borders and is absent from the basolateral plasma membrane. A variable proportion of the activity, up to 40%, is on brush borders which during homogenization break up into particles of reduced density and slow sedimentation rate

Total hip replacement for the treatment of end stage arthritis of the hip : a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Evolvements in the design, fixation methods, size, and bearing surface of implants for total hip replacement (THR) have led to a variety of options for healthcare professionals to consider. The need to determine the most optimal combinations of THR implant is warranted. This systematic review evaluated the clinical effectiveness of different types of THR used for the treatment of end stage arthritis of the hip. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was undertaken in major health databases. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and systematic reviews published from 2008 onwards comparing different types of primary THR in patients with end stage arthritis of the hip were included. Results: Fourteen RCTs and five systematic reviews were included. Patients experienced significant post-THR improvements in Harris Hip scores, but this did not differ between impact types. There was a reduced risk of implant dislocation after receiving a larger femoral head size (36 mm vs. 28 mm; RR = 0.17, 95% CI: 0.04, 0.78) or cemented cup (vs. cementless cup; pooled odds ratio: 0.34, 95% CI: 0.13, 0.89). Recipients of cross-linked vs. conventional polyethylene cup liners experienced reduced femoral head penetration and revision. There was no impact of femoral stem fixation and cup shell design on implant survival rates. Evidence on mortality and complications (aseptic loosening, femoral fracture) was inconclusive. Conclusions: The majority of evidence was inconclusive due to poor reporting, missing data, or uncertainty in treatment estimates. The findings warrant cautious interpretation given the risk of bias (blinding, attrition), methodological limitations (small sample size, low event counts, short follow-up), and poor reporting. Long-term pragmatic RCTs are needed to allow for more definitive conclusions. Authors are encouraged to specify the minimal clinically important difference and power calculation for their primary outcome(s) as well CONSORT, PRISMA and STROBE guidelines to ensure better reporting and more reliable production and assessment of evidence

Intestinal peroxisomes of goldfish (Carrassius auratus) - examination for hydrolase, dehydrogenase and carnitine acetyltransferase activities.

1. Rate sedimentation and isopycnic centrifugation were used to analyse the subcellular sites of enzymes in homogenates of goldfish intestinal mucosa. 2. The results allowed the following allocations to be made: carnitine acetyl transferase-mitochondrial and peroxisomal, xanthine dehydrogenase and NAD: :x-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase soluble phase; NADP: isocitrate dehydrogenase soluble phase and mitochondrial, and 2-naphthyl laurate hydrolase microsomal and/or brush border. 3. Histochemistry confirmed the use of alkaline phosphatase and I-naphthyl acetate esterase as brush border and microsome markers respectively. 4. Urate oxidase, allantoinase, allantoicase, xanthine oxidase and glycollatejlactate oxidase, activities were undetectable, and I-naphthyl palmilale hydrolase was present only as a contaminant from pancreas