Habitat Suitability Analysis for Mountain Lions (Puma Concolor) Recolonization/ Reintroduction in Minnesota

The mountain lion range once extended throughout the state of Minnesota. The breeding population has been greatly reduced with time, new roads, and timber harvesting, which have broken large tracts of contiguous forest into isolated patches that are too small and no longer suitable for the breeding mountain lion population. The objective of this study is to use suitability analysis to determine the most suitable habitat to conserve mountain lion populations threatened by habitat fragmentation. To attain our objective, we created three sub models that contribute to the overarching goal of the suitability model. A habitat sub model was developed for finding the best habitat, a food sub model for access to the maximum amount of food needed, and a security sub model focusing on the distance from houses, roads, and urban development. Using the Weighted Sum tool, the three sub models were combined to produce a suitability surface based on the trade-off of the preferences of the goals represented by each sub model. Our suitability model shows large areas of high-quality mountain lion habitat in the northern and north-eastern sections of the state. These areas contain favourable locations for mountain lion habitat, such as forested land cover, low-density populations, steep slopes, short distances to streams, and area unimpeded by major roads. The southern and western parts of the state are characterized by lower slopes, more agricultural land, grassland, developed land, and higher population density, which results in lower quality habitat. The twin cities have the worst mountain lion habitat

From Targets to Solutions: Implementing a Trauma Quality Improvement Bundle in Cameroon

BackgroundGlobal surgery research efforts have been criticized for failure to transition from problem identification to intervention implementation. We developed a context-appropriate trauma quality improvement (TQI) bundle to ameliorate care gaps at a regional referral hospital in Cameroon. We determined associations between bundle implementation and improvement in trauma resuscitation practices.MethodsWe implemented a TQI bundle consisting of a hospital-specific trauma protocol, staff training, a trauma checklist, provision of essential emergency trauma supplies in the resuscitation area, and monthly quality improvement meetings. We compared trends in target process measures (e.g., frequency and timing of vital sign collection and primary survey interventions) in the six-month period pre- and post-bundle implementation using Wilcoxon rank-sum and Fisher's exact tests.ResultsWe compared 246 pre-bundle patients with 203 post-bundle patients. Post-bundle patients experienced a greater proportion of all vital signs collected compared to the pre-intervention cohort (0 % pre-bundle vs. 69 % post-bundle, p < 0.001); specifically, the proportion of respiratory rate (0.8 % pre-bundle vs. 76 % post-bundle, p < 0.001) and temperature (7 % pre-bundle vs. 91 % post-bundle, p < 0.001) vital sign collection significantly increased. The post-bundle cohort had vital signs measured sooner (74 % vital signs measured within 15 min of arrival pre-bundle vs. 90 % post-bundle, p < 0.001) and more frequently per patient (7 % repeated vitals pre-bundle vs 52 % post-bundle, p < 0.001). Key primary survey interventions such as respiratory interventions (1 % pre-bundle vs. 8 % post-bundle, p < 0.001) and cervical collar placement (0 % pre-bundle vs. 7 % post-bundle, p < 0.001) also increased in the post-bundle cohort.ConclusionsThe implementation of a context-appropriate TQI bundle was associated with significant improvements in previously identified trauma care deficits at a single regional hospital. Data-derived interventions targeting frontline capacity at the local level can bridge the gap between identifying care limitations and improvement in resource-limited settings

Developmental Regulation of Genes Encoding Universal Stress Proteins in Schistosoma mansoni

The draft nuclear genome sequence of the snail-transmitted, dimorphic, parasitic, platyhelminth Schistosoma mansoni revealed eight genes encoding proteins that contain the Universal Stress Protein (USP) domain. Schistosoma mansoni is a causative agent of human schistosomiasis, a severe and debilitating Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) of poverty, which is endemic in at least 76 countries. The availability of the genome sequences of Schistosoma species presents opportunities for bioinformatics and genomics analyses of associated gene families that could be targets for understanding schistosomiasis ecology, intervention, prevention and control. Proteins with the USP domain are known to provide bacteria, archaea, fungi, protists and plants with the ability to respond to diverse environmental stresses. In this research investigation, the functional annotations of the USP genes and predicted nucleotide and protein sequences were initially verified. Subsequently, sequence clusters and distinctive features of the sequences were determined. A total of twelve ligand binding sites were predicted based on alignment to the ATP-binding universal stress protein from Methanocaldococcus jannaschii. In addition, six USP sequences showed the presence of ATP-binding motif residues indicating that they may be regulated by ATP. Public domain gene expression data and RT-PCR assays confirmed that all the S. mansoni USP genes were transcribed in at least one of the developmental life cycle stages of the helminth. Six of these genes were up-regulated in the miracidium, a free-swimming stage that is critical for transmission to the snail intermediate host. It is possible that during the intra-snail stages, S. mansoni gene transcripts for universal stress proteins are low abundant and are induced to perform specialized functions triggered by environmental stressors such as oxidative stress due to hydrogen peroxide that is present in the snail hemocytes. This report serves to catalyze the formation of a network of researchers to understand the function and regulation of the universal stress proteins encoded in genomes of schistosomes and their snail intermediate hosts

A cost-effectiveness analysis of provider interventions to improve health worker practice in providing treatment for uncomplicated malaria in Cameroon: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Governments and donors all over Africa are searching for sustainable, affordable and cost-effective ways to improve the quality of malaria case management. Widespread deficiencies have been reported in the prescribing and counselling practices of health care providers treating febrile patients in both public and private health facilities. Cameroon is no exception with low levels of adherence to national guidelines, the frequent selection of non-recommended antimalarials and the use of incorrect dosages. This study evaluates the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of introducing two different provider training packages, alongside rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), designed to equip providers with the knowledge and practical skills needed to effectively diagnose and treat febrile patients. The overall aim is to target antimalarial treatment better and to facilitate optimal use of malaria treatment guidelines. METHODS/DESIGN: A 3-arm stratified, cluster randomized trial will be conducted to assess whether introducing RDTs with provider training (basic or enhanced) is more cost-effective than current practice without RDTs, and whether there is a difference in the cost effectiveness of the provider training interventions. The primary outcome is the proportion of patients attending facilities that report a fever or suspected malaria and receive treatment according to malaria guidelines. This will be measured by surveying patients (or caregivers) as they exit public and mission health facilities. Cost-effectiveness will be presented in terms of the primary outcome and a range of secondary outcomes, including changes in provider knowledge. Costs will be estimated from a societal and provider perspective using standard economic evaluation methodologies. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00981877

Optimization of Airborne Real-time Cueing Hyperspectral Enhanced Reconnaissance (ARCHER) imagery, in situ data with chemometrics to evaluate nutrients in the Shenandoah River, Virginia

Phosphorus and nitrogen have a strong influence on water resource and remote sensing technology has demonstrated that water quality monitoring over a greater range of temporal and spatial scales can be used to overcome these constraints. This research was designed to demonstrate the feasibility of combining remotely-sensed water quality observation and chemometric techniques to estimate water quality in the Shenandoah River. We used Airborne Real-time Cueing Hyperspectral Enhanced Reconnaissance (ARCHER) imagery, combined with a partial least squares analysis to characterize the spatial distribution of nutrients in the Sheanadoah river. ARCHER retrievals for phosphorous with cross-validation show high sensitivity in estimating water quality in the Shenandoah River with the Bentonville in the South Fork, with an R2 of 0.93 sensitivity. Using the significance level of 0.05, data from the summer of 2014 showed that the p-value was 0.00 for both nitrogen and phosphorous. Results show retrieval method is transferable

Habitat Suitability Analysis for Mountain Lions (Puma Concolor) Recolonization/ Reintroduction in Minnesota

The mountain lion range once extended throughout the state of Minnesota. The breeding population has been greatly reduced with time, new roads, and timber harvesting, which have broken large tracts of contiguous forest into isolated patches that are too small and no longer suitable for the breeding mountain lion population. The objective of this study is to use suitability analysis to determine the most suitable habitat to conserve mountain lion populations threatened by habitat fragmentation. To attain our objective, we created three sub models that contribute to the overarching goal of the suitability model. A habitat sub model was developed for finding the best habitat, a food sub model for access to the maximum amount of food needed, and a security sub model focusing on the distance from houses, roads, and urban development. Using the Weighted Sum tool, the three sub models were combined to produce a suitability surface based on the trade-off of the preferences of the goals represented by each sub model. Our suitability model shows large areas of high-quality mountain lion habitat in the northern and north-eastern sections of the state. These areas contain favourable locations for mountain lion habitat, such as forested land cover, low-density populations, steep slopes, short distances to streams, and area unimpeded by major roads. The southern and western parts of the state are characterized by lower slopes, more agricultural land, grassland, developed land, and higher population density, which results in lower quality habitat. The twin cities have the worst mountain lion habitat

Spatiotemporal analysis of urban heat island intensification in the city of Minneapolis-St. Paul and Chicago metropolitan areas using Landsat data from 1984 to 2016

Most major cities worldwide are affected Urban Heat Islands – a condition of relatively higher temperatures being observed in one area compared to another that can be caused by a decrease in greenspace. One of the major reasons attributed to this increase in the warming of urban landscapes is the decrease in green space. This concept has received a lot of attention due to the destruction of vegetation for urban development and has prompted long-term spatial-temporal studies of Urban Heat Islands to understanding local climates. The objective of this study is to use Landsat data to examine the temporal intensification of UHIs and their variability from 1984–2016 for the cities of Chicago and Minneapolis-St. Paul. Landsat L4-5 TM), L7 ETM+), OLI and TIRS from 1984 to 2016 was used to examine land surface temperature (LST). Firstly, we converted the digital number (DN) to spectral radiance (L) and to temperature in Kelvin and from kelvin to Celsius and a conversion from Radiance to Top of the Atmosphere Reflectance and estimation of land surface emissivity. Finally, LST was estimated and Urban Heat Island retrieval and anomalies computed to help examine inconsistencies in our data. Our analysis showed year-to-year fluctuations in surface temperature, intensification of UHIs for both metro areas. Using a defined deductive index to identify environmentally critical areas, estimates of UHIs based on LST showed that both metropolitan areas are UHIs with LST > µ + 0.5 × δ. Higher intensification values were observed in 1988 and 2010 for Chicago and 1984, 1999 and 2016 for Minneapolis-St. Paul from analysis. While both areas have the similar climatic conditions, our analysis show differences in UHIs intensification as observed in their urban growth patterns. Chicago experiences a higher UHI intensity compared to Minneapolis-St. Paul and this could be explained by higher number of tall buildings than Minneapolis-St. Paul

Life cycle, population dynamics and schistosome infection in Bulinus spp from a crater lake in the South West Province, Cameroon

No Abstract. JCAS Vol. 6 (2) 2006: pp. 99-10