Climate Change, Its Effect on Migration Patterns of the Cackling Goose and White-Fronted Goose in the Willamette Valley, and Implications for Goose Management

This thesis considers the question of whether climate change is affecting the migration patterns of geese in the Pacific Flyway, specifically cackling geese (Branta hutchinsii minima) and Pacific white-fronted geese (Anser albifrons frontalis). Ancillary questions that are considered are as follows: • If global warming is affecting these species, what is the nature of the effects? • How are the changes affecting the human environment and what can be done about these effects? In 1994, the majority of the cackler population in the Pacific Flyway began to winter in Oregon\u27s Willamette Valley rather than in their historical wintering areas in California\u27s Central Valley. In recent years, the Pacific white-fronted goose has shown a change in behavior similar to that of cacklers just before their major shift. The reasons for this shift have not been clear, though climate change, agricultural shifts, or competition with other species were thought to be possible causes. Analyses of historical breeding and wintering surveys, bird band data, harvest data, agricultural data, and climate and weather data were undertaken in the course of this thesis to see if the cause or causes could be identified. The results showed that climate and weather data, i.e. an increase in average annual temperature coupled with occasional severe winters, most closely correlated with the cacklers\u27 shift northward. The data comparison revealed that there is a direct relationship between cacklers and a warming shift seen on the wintering grounds. There also was a secondary correlation between the northward shift and recent changes in agricultural crops in the Willamette Valley. Substantially less data are available for white-fronts, and the relationship between their recent migration changes and climate and/or other factors is much less clear

Habitat use, nest success, and management recommendations for grassland birds of the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge, West Virginia

Grassland bird populations have been declining due to increased habitat fragmentation, urbanization, and conversion of farmlands to other uses throughout the United States. However, idle hayfields and pastures in the eastern United States may provide adequate nesting habitat for grassland species displaced from their native habitat. The objectives of this study were to: (1) compare grassland bird abundance, diversity, and richness of species between 3 idle hayfields and 3 pastures and between mowed and unmowed treatments, and (2) compare grassland bird nest success between hayfields and pastures, and between mowed and unmowed treatments on the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge, West Virginia during the summers of 1999--2000. A total of 27 species was found on the refuge. The predominant grassland species were bobolinks ( Dolichonyz oryzivorus), savannah sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis ), and eastern meadowlarks (Sturnella magna). Overall bird abundance differed between mowed (x¯ = 0.61; SE = 0.09) and unmowed (x¯ = 0.32; SE = 0.06) treatments in pastures (P = 0.033). Grassland bird diversity differed between mowed plots of hayfields (x¯ = 0.85; SE = 0.21) and pastures (x¯ = 1.57; SE = 0.26) (P = 0.026). Mayfield nest survival did not differ between nests found in hayfields and pastures, and mowed and unmowed treatments. While nest success did not differ between mowed and unmowed treatments, mowing these fields at the conclusion of the breeding season will provide long team advantages to grassland birds nesting on the refuge. Additionally, grassland birds appeared to be responding to the vegetative structure and vertical diversity within fields rather than field size. Management should focus on removal of internal edges (i.e., remnant fencelines, hedgerows, and wind breaks) found throughout the grasslands on the refuge

Swinburne\u27s The Tale of Balen : an Edition with Critical Commentary

Warren Hill Kelly\u27s Swinburne\u27s The Tale of Balen: an Edition with Critical Commentary comprises a variorum-like edition of the poem that records all variances of the poem evident in its manuscript through its first and second editions, Chatto & Windus 1896 and 1904, or those editions produced during the poet\u27s lifetime and therefore potentially bearing evidence of his editorial input. The edition forms as its basis the poet\u27s final intention expressed in the manuscript, and notes all alterations within the manuscript and the first two published editions, and by coupling the edition\u27s text with the notations pertaining to the manuscript, readers have access to, in effect, a transcription of the poem\u27s manuscript. The edition contains also an introduction that accounts for the poem\u27s antecedents, that is, the poet\u27s life and influences as well as the history of the Balen myth, and that traces the poem\u27s critical reception since its publication into the present. The introduction contains also a brief user\u27s guide and some observations regarding Swinburne\u27s manuscript practices

Simplifying treatment from double-inhaler to single-inhaler triple therapy in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

A clinical decision report using Ferguson GT, Brown N, Compton C, et al. Once-daily single-inhaler versus twice-daily multiple-inhaler triple therapy in patients with COPD: lung function and health status results from two replicate randomized controlled trials. Respir Res. 2020;21(1):131. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12931-020-01360-w for a patient requesting a simplified therapeutic regimen with equal efficacy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) management

Daisy

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/4585/thumbnail.jp

Compact Midwave Infrared System (CMIS) for Feature Tracking

The Compact Midwave Infrared System (CMIS) is a multi-angle, multi-spectral radiometer designed for high-spatial resolution stereo imaging in the shortwave infrared (SWIR)/midwave infrared (MWIR). The unique design of CMIS enables the capability to track diverse targets ranging from hot wildfires to cold clouds. CMIS is a low-size, -weight and -power (SWaP) instrument that can be accommodated on a small-satellite constellation to enable a rapid revisit rate needed for characterizing dynamic scenes. CMIS employs mature stereographic techniques to retrieve object heights and motion vectors that are free of the ambiguities between height assignment and along-track motions that are apparent in some earth-observing missions. This capability can be applied to cloud motions to derive accurate 3D winds related to the development and maintenance of atmospheric rivers, for example. An airborne test campaign of four NASA Gulfstream III flights successfully demonstrated CMIS capabilities. This presentation will describe the results of those flights, including a limited comparison against the ADM Aeolus lidar, and define a concept of operations for quantifying both horizontal and vertical motions

A central line care maintenance bundle for the prevention of central line–associated bloodstream infection in non–intensive care unit settings

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a central line care maintenance bundle to reduce central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) in non-ICU settings. DESIGN: Before-after trial with 12 month follow-up period. SETTING: 1250-bed teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with central lines on eight general medicine wards. Four wards received the intervention and four served as controls. INTERVENTION: A multifaceted catheter care maintenance bundle consisting of educational programs for nurses, update of hospital policies, visual aids, a competency assessment, process monitoring, regular progress reports, and consolidation of supplies necessary for catheter maintenance. RESULTS: Data were collected for 25,542 catheter-days including 43 CLABSI (rate = 1.68 per 1,000 CL-days) and 4,012 catheter dressing observations. Following the intervention, a 2.5% monthly decrease in the CLABSI incidence density was observed on intervention floors, but this was not statistically significant (95% confidence interval (CI); −5.3 – 0.4). On control floors, there was a smaller, but marginally significant decrease in CLABSI incidence during the study (change in monthly rate = −1.1%; 95% CI, −2.1 - −0.1). Implementation of the bundle was associated with improvement in catheter dressing compliance on intervention wards (78.8% compliance pre-intervention vs. 87.9% during intervention/follow-up; p<0.001) but improvement was also observed on control wards (84.9% compliance pre-intervention vs. 90.9% during intervention/follow-up; P = .001). CONCLUSIONS: A multi-faceted program to improve catheter care was associated with improvement in catheter dressing care, but no change in CLABSI rates. Additional study is needed to determine strategies to prevent CLABSI in non-ICU patients

Membrane-bound Matrix Metalloproteinases Influence Reactive Synaptogenesis Following Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) produces axonal damage and deafferentation, triggering injury-induced synaptogenesis, a process influenced by matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) and their substrates. Here we report results of studies examining the expression and potential role of two membrane-bound MMPs, membrane-type 5-MMP (MT5-MMP) and a disintegrin and metalloproteinase-10 (ADAM-10), along with their common synaptic substrate N-cadherin, during the period of reactive synaptogenesis. Protein and mRNA expression of MT5-MMP, ADAM-10 and N-cadherin were compared in two TBI models, one exhibiting adaptive plasticity (unilateral entorhinal cortex lesion; UEC) and the other maladaptive plasticity (fluid percussion injury + bilateral EC lesions; TBI+BEC), targeting 2, 7, and 15d postinjury intervals. In adaptive UEC plasticity, membrane-bound MMP expression was elevated during synaptic degeneration (2d) and regeneration (7d), and normalized at 15d. By contrast, N-cadherin expression was significantly decreased at 2 and 7d after UEC, but increased during 15d synaptic stabilization. In maladaptive plasticity, 2d membrane-bound MMP expression was dampened compared to UEC, with persistent ADAM-10 elevation and reduced N-cadherin protein level at 15d. These results were supported by 7d microarray and qRT-PCR analyses, which showed transcript shifts in both hippocampus and dentate molecular layer (ML) for each model. Parallel immunohistochemistry revealed significant MT5-MMP, ADAM-10 and N-cadherin localization within ML reactive astrocytes, suggesting a glial synthetic or phagocytotic role for their processing during recovery. We also investigated the effect of MMP inhibition on molecular, electrophysiological, behavioral and structural outcome at 15d following TBI+BEC. MMP inhibitor GM6001 was administered at 6 and 7d postinjury, during elevated MT5-MMP/ADAM-10 expression and synapse regeneration. MMP inhibition showed: 1) reduced ADAM-10 and elevated N-cadherin protein expression, generating profiles similar to 15d post-UEC, 2) attenuation of deficits in the initiation phase of long-term potentiation, and 3) improved hippocampal dendritic and synaptic ultrastructure. Collectively, our results provide evidence that membrane-bound MMPs and N-cadherin influence both adaptive and maladaptive plasticity in a time and injury-dependent manner. Inhibition of membrane-bound MMPs during maladaptive plasticity produces more adaptive conditions, improving synaptic efficacy and structure. Thus, targeting MMP function and expression have potential to translate maladaptive plasticity into an adaptive process, facilitating improved recovery

Coaxial charged particle energy analyzer

A non-dispersive electrostatic energy analyzer for electrons and other charged particles having a generally coaxial structure of a sequentially arranged sections of an electrostatic lens to focus the beam through an iris and preferably including an ellipsoidally shaped input grid for collimating a wide acceptance beam from a charged-particle source, an electrostatic high-pass filter including a planar exit grid, and an electrostatic low-pass filter. The low-pass filter is configured to reflect low-energy particles back towards a charged particle detector located within the low-pass filter. Each section comprises multiple tubular or conical electrodes arranged about the central axis. The voltages on the lens are scanned to place a selected energy band of the accepted beam at a selected energy at the iris. Voltages on the high-pass and low-pass filters remain substantially fixed during the scan