Utilizing Ecological Connectivity in California Desert Wilderness Preservation

The Wilderness Act of 1964 gave the federal land management agencies—the National Park Service, United States Forest Service, U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Land Management—the authority to identify, propose, and manage lands as wilderness. Wilderness, once approved by Congress for inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System, is offered the highest form of land preservation in the nation. However, the wilderness identification process used by the implementing agencies is based on a half-century old statute with an aging definition of wilderness. While designated wilderness can protect the plant and wildlife communities within its borders from direct anthropogenic impacts, climate change and habitat fragmentation threaten the ability of these populations to persist long term. To better preserve plant and wildlife communities within wilderness, and thus preserve the fundamental character of wilderness itself, the wilderness identification process must be expanded to ensure new areas are selected based on ecological significance, in addition to the historic concepts instated by the Wilderness Act. In particular, the need for a reformed wilderness designation process is pronounced in the California desert region, where an increasingly fragmented landscape and demand for renewable energy infrastructure in the region poses a threat to ecosystems both within and outside of wilderness boundaries. Conservation planners have studied the benefits of ecological connectivity across larger landscapes, and well-connected preserve systems are more successful in maintaining ecosystem function, species persistence, and biological and genetic diversity. Prioritization of ecological connectivity by federal land management agencies would contribute to a more resilient National Wilderness Preservation System and the protection of the unique ecosystems and biodiversity found in the California desert region

GLP-1R, a novel receptor in platelets; and the use of liraglutide in the treatment of obesity in women with PCOS

Studies investigating atherothrombotic risk in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), in particular platelet function and carotid intima-media wall thickness (cIMT), have been confounded by not adequately accounting for obesity. Liraglutide is a glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogue that causes weight loss and may have favourable effects on atherothrombotic risk and liver fibrosis in preclinical and animal studies. The aims of this study was to investigate whether atherothrombotic risk was increased in obese women with PCOS independently of obesity; whether GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R) is expressed in human platelets; and whether 6 months treatment with liraglutide would improve weight and markers of atherothrombosis and liver fibrosis in obese young women with PCOS and/or normal controls.Our results suggest that PCOS, independent of obesity, is associated with increased levels of insulin resistance, inflammation, oxidative stress, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and the liver fibrosis marker PIIINP. However, PCOS was not independently associated with increased atherothrombotic risk markers including cIMT, platelet function, clot function/lysis, and endothelial function. Treatment for 6 months with liraglutide, 1.8mg daily, resulted in 3 – 4% weight loss in obese women with PCOS and controls. This was associated with a significant reduction in insulin resistance, oxidative stress, and several markers of atherothrombosis including inflammation, serum biochemical markers of endothelial function and clot lysis. Although basal platelet activation was reduced in the control group only and the liver fibrosis marker PIIINP was only reduced in the PCOS group, between groups comparisons were not significant. No change was observed in cIMT. In addition, we demonstrated for the first time that platelets express the GLP-1R. Liraglutide inhibited collagen- and thrombin-induced aggregation in isolated platelets and the effects were at least partly mediated by the GLP-1R, although an additional GLP-1R independent pathway is also likely.In conclusion, cardiovascular risk in young obese women with PCOS can either be attributed to obesity or is not yet apparent at this early stage of the condition. Our data support the use of liraglutide as a weight loss medication in simple obesity and suggest a potential beneficial effect on atherothrombotic risk and markers of liver fibrosis at 6 months of treatment. GLP-1R is a novel receptor in platelets and its function and clinical effect are worth further evaluation

Bird Abundance at Bird Feeders in Response to Temperature, Wind Speed and Precipitation During the Winter Season

The goal of this project is to explore how 23 different bird species respond to 3 climatic attributes. These attributes are lower than average temperatures, wind speed and precipitation level. Information about the bird species and all of the data associated with them is provided by Project FeederWatch (PFW). This is a citizen based survey study that provides key information about bird species abundance through the use of backyard and community feeders. The study volunteers from across the United States and Canada monitor these bird feeders and note important information about the species such as the number of individuals seen. Other standard information is also included such as location data and date. An original data collection pipeline was developed for this study to append climate data from Weather Underground (WU) to the PFW bird feeder data. The final dataset helped to explore how exactly the birds are reacting to winter temperatures, wind speeds and rain levels. Our results indicate that birds species in general visit the bird feeders more often as temperatures dip below average. We found that the body mass of the bird plays no role in the number of visits. Birds don\u27t seem to be significantly affected by precipitation or wind speed as our results indicate no relationship between these climatic factors and abundance at the feeders

Master\u27s Recital

Program listing performers and works performe

Sevilla

With Ukulele arrangement. Contains advertisements and/or short musical examples of pieces being sold by publisher.https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/6977/thumbnail.jp

Modelling Extreme Rainfall Using Adjusted Sandwich Estimator

The Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) distribution is often used to describe the frequency of occurrence of extreme rainfall. Modelling the extreme event using the independent Generalized Extreme Value to spatial data fails to account the behaviour of dependency data. However, the wrong statistical assumption by this marginal approach can be adjusted using sandwich estimator. In this paper, we used the conventional method of the marginal fitting of generalized extreme value distribution to the extreme rainfall then corrected the standard error to account for inter-site dependence. We also applied the penalized maximum likelihood to improve the generalized parameter estimations. A case study of annual maximum rainfall from several stations at western Sabah is studied, and the results suggest that the variances were found to be greater than the standard error in the marginal estimation as the inter-site dependence being considered

Moonlight Saving Time

Photograph of Harry Richman; Illustration of man and woman sitting on moon with stars in backgroundhttps://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/cht-sheet-music/11158/thumbnail.jp

The effect of treatment of liraglutide on quality of life and depression in young obese women with PCOS and controls

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with reduced quality of life (QoL), though the role of associated obesity is unclear. In this study we examined the effects of six months treatment with liraglutide, 1.8 mg od, on obesity, depression and QoL in young women with PCOS and obesity compared to age- and weight-matched controls. In a cross-sectional study, 36 women were recruited (19 PCOS, 17 controls), age 33.9 ± 6.7 vs. 33.5 ± 7.1 yr, and weight 102.1 ± 17.1 vs. 100.4 ± 15.1 kg, respectively. PCOS was diagnosed according to the Rotterdam criteria. Depression was measured using the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). QoL was measured using the World Health Organization QoL questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF). At baseline there was no difference in QoL or CES-D scores between the two groups. At six months, weight was reduced by 3.0 ± 4.2 kg, p = .01, in the PCOS group and 3.8 ± 3.4 kg, p = .001, in controls. Psychological health improved in the PCOS group (percentage change 11.3%, p smaller than .02). Combining the two groups revealed significant improvement (p smaller than .05) in physical (82.6 ± 11.2 vs. 78.9 ± 13.6), psychological (62.4 ± 16.5 vs. 57.5 ± 16.4) and social health (76.6 ± 15.3 vs. 71 ± 16.8) components of the WHOQOL-BREF at six months. Weight loss is associated with an improvement in QoL; and when matched for age and obesity, PCOS was not independently associated with reduced QoL or depression

Hikin\u27 Down The Highway

No cover art.https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/cht-sheet-music/9139/thumbnail.jp

The Night Is Young and You\u27re So Beautiful / music by Dana Suesse; words by Billy Rose and Irving Kahal

Key of C. Cover: a drawing of a woman; Publisher: Words and Music Inc. (New York)https://egrove.olemiss.edu/sharris_e/1042/thumbnail.jp