Evaluating the Success of Lake Trout Refuges in the Great Lakes

Lake trout rehabilitation efforts in the Great Lakes have developed as a result of extirpated populations during the mid-20th century. Current lake trout restoration efforts of the lower four Great Lakes have been unsuccessful in producing self-sustaining populations and population size is considerably below historic harvest levels. Stocking efforts, control of sea lamprey, and protected species-based refuges have been used as management tools to improve population size and encourage natural recruitment. Four lake trout refuges have been created since 1985 to assist in the rehabilitation efforts of lake trout populations. I conducted a literature review and analyzed available data to evaluate the success of the Six Fathom Bank refuge in Lake Huron for restoring naturally reproducing populations of lake trout. Within the refuge, the major population bottleneck for lake trout natural reproduction appears to be predation of fry by invasive alewives. Poor quality of lake trout prey and predation of lake trout eggs also contribute to poor reproductive success. I used data on lake trout stocking, stage-specific survival rates, fecundity, and egg-to-predator ratios to estimate the minimum number of lake trout females needed for a successful population in Six Fathom Bank. Estimated numbers of females needed for successful reproduction are higher than currently exist, and range from approximately 122,000 lake trout at low egg predator densities and small amount (50 ha) of spawning habitat, to 1.5 million lake trout at high predator densities and a larger amount (300 ha) of spawning habitat. Managers concerned with restoring viable lake trout populations in Lake Huron should consider lowering sources of adult mortality, such as fishing and sea lamprey parasitism, to rebuild spawning stocks.Honors (Bachelor's)REPLACEEnvironmentUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/112067/1/Kullgren_thesis.pdfDescription of Kullgren_thesis.pdf : Thesi

Using an interactive water bottle to target fluid adherence in pediatric kidney transplant recipients: A pilot study

Hydration is important post‐renal transplant to maintain adequate renal perfusion and graft function. Adherence to fluid recommendations is challenging given barriers to staying hydrated. There are no studies of adherence to fluid intake recommendations following pediatric renal transplant. Through this pilot study, we sought to determine whether the use of a commercially available interactive water bottle would lead to better adherence to recommended fluid intake and improved kidney functioning post‐transplant relative to standard of care. Participants included 32 youth ages 7–19 ≥1 month post‐kidney transplant randomized to the intervention (HydraCoach ® water bottle) or standard education control group. Laboratory records were reviewed for serum chemistries (Na, BUN , creatinine) at baseline and one‐month follow‐up, and participants recorded daily fluid intake for 28 days. Those in the intervention group were significantly more likely to meet or exceed their fluid target, but this did not translate into better kidney functioning. Participants in the intervention group largely reported satisfaction with the water bottle and were likely to continue its use. While an interactive water bottle providing real‐time feedback may be a promising intervention to help pediatric kidney transplant patients meet fluid goals, it did not appear to impact kidney function.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109912/1/petr12385.pd

Do Financial Incentives Reduce Intrinsic Motivation for Weight Loss? Evidence from Two Tests of Crowding Out

Financial incentives have been used successfully to promote health behaviors, however they may be counterproductive if they crowd out pre-existing intrinsic motivation and lead to a decrease in performance once incentives are removed to a level lower than they had never been introduced. We provide new evidence that incentives do not crowd out intrinsic motivation in the case of weight loss. We measure motivation via a survey administered before and after the introduction of financial incentives in two weight loss field experiments and find no evidence that intrinsic motivation fell among participants receiving incentives compared to control participants who do not receive incentives

Pain location and widespread pain in youth with orthopaedic conditions: Exploration of the reliability and validity of a body map

BackgroundPain location and widespread pain are important but underexamined dimensions of paediatric pain. Body map tools to assess pain location in youth have been used for several decades, but few studies have established reliability and validity of these measures. The purpose of this study was to explore the reliability and validity of a pain body map among youth with orthopaedic conditions before surgery.MethodYouth ages 10â 17 years completed the body map and other selfâ reported outcomes at their preoperative clinic visit and at their day of surgery.ResultsMost (91.7%) youth had small discrepancy between body map scores at preoperative clinic visit (baseline) and day of surgery (second assessment), and siteâ toâ site agreement ranged from 78% to 98%. Those with back and lower extremity diagnoses had high correspondence between body map sites and diagnostic sites. Body map scores and widespread pain were associated with other dimensions of pain, as well as other patientâ reported outcomes. Higher pain intensity and widespread pain predicted greater discrepancy between body map scores.ConclusionsThese results support the use of body map tools in further research examining widespread pain among youth by demonstrating adequate reliability, descriptive validity and associative validity.SignificanceThese results contribute to the limited information regarding psychometric properties of paediatric pain body maps, provide novel information about widespread pain among youth undergoing orthopaedic surgeries, and pave the way for improved assessment and treatment of paediatric pain.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147159/1/ejp1282.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147159/2/ejp1282_am.pd

Oxygen vacancies versus fluorine at CeO2(111): a case of mistaken identity?

We propose a resolution to the puzzle presented by the surface defects observed with STM at the (111) surface facet of CeO2 single crystals. In the seminal paper of Esch et al. [Science 309, 752 (2005)] they were identified with oxygen vacancies, but the observed behavior of these defects is inconsistent with the results of density functional theory (DFT) studies of oxygen vacancies in the literature. We resolve these inconsistencies via DFT calculations of the properties of both oxygen vacancies and fluorine impurities at CeO2(111), the latter having recently been shown to exist in high concentrations in single crystals from a widely used commercial source of such samples. We find that the simulated filled-state STM images of surface-layer oxygen vacancies and fluorine impurities are essentially identical, which would render problematic their experimental distinction by such images alone. However, we find that our theoretical results for the most stable location, mobility, and tendency to cluster, of fluorine impurities are consistent with experimental observations, in contrast to those for oxygen vacancies. Based on these results, we propose that the surface defects observed in STM experiments on CeO2 single crystals reported heretofore were not oxygen vacancies, but fluorine impurities. Since the similarity of the simulated STM images of the two defects is due primarily to the relative energies of the 2p states of oxygen and fluorine ions, this confusion might also occur for other oxides which have been either doped or contaminated with fluorine

Authorsâ reply to the letter to the editor by Sabour

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147224/1/ejp1345.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147224/2/ejp1345_am.pd

Health care utilisation and problems in accessing health care of female undocumented immigrants in the Netherlands

Contains fulltext : 88419.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)OBJECTIVE: To obtain information about the actual use of health care facilities by undocumented women and to identify obstacles they experience in accessing health care facilities. METHODS: A mixed methods study, with structured questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, was chosen to obtain a complete understanding. One-hundred undocumented women were recruited. Diversity was sought according to age, origin and reason for being undocumented. RESULTS: Undocumented female immigrants have unmet health care needs (56%) and low health care utilisation. Sixty-nine per cent of the women reported obstacles in accessing health care facilities. These included many personal obstacles such as shame, fear and/or lack of information. Poor language proficiency (OR 0.28;. CI 0.09-0.90) reduces utilisation of primary health care services. CONCLUSION: Health care utilisation of undocumented women is low. Undocumented women refrain from seeking health care because of personal obstacles. These women need to be identified and informed about their rights, the health care system and the duty of professional confidentiality of doctors. Finally, institutional obstacles to access care should be removed since they strengthen reluctance to seek help.1 oktober 201

Five-year mortality in a cohort of people with schizophrenia in Ethiopia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Schizophrenia is associated with a two to three fold excess mortality. Both natural and unnatural causes were reported. However, there is dearth of evidence from low and middle income (LAMIC) countries, particularly in Africa. To our knowledge this is the first community based report from Africa.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We followed a cohort of 307 (82.1% males) patients with schizophrenia for five years in Butajira, rural Ethiopia. Mortality was recorded using broad rating schedule as well as verbal autopsy. Standardized Mortality Ratio (SMR) was calculated using the mortality in the demographic and surveillance site as a reference.</p> <p>Result</p> <p>Thirty eight (12.4%) patients, 34 men (11.1%) and 4 women (1.3%), died during the five-year follow up period. The mean age (SD) of the deceased for both sexes was 35 (7.35). The difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.69). It was 35.3 (7.4) for men and 32.3 (6.8) for women. The most common cause of death was infection, 18/38 (47.4%) followed by severe malnutrition, 5/38 (13.2%) and suicide 4/38 (10.5%). The overall SMR was 5.98 (95% CI = 4.09 to7.87). Rural residents had lower mortality with adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 0.30 (95% CI = 0.12-0.69) but insidious onset and antipsychotic treatment for less than 50% of the follow up period were associated with higher mortality, adjusted HR 2.37 (95% CI = 1.04-5. 41) and 2.66(1.054-6.72) respectively.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The alarmingly high mortality observed in this patient population is of major concern. Most patients died from potentially treatable conditions. Improving medical and psychiatric care as well as provision of basic needs is recommended.</p

Deceleration during 'real life' motor vehicle collisions – a sensitive predictor for the risk of sustaining a cervical spine injury?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The predictive value of trauma impact for the severity of whiplash injuries has mainly been investigated in sled- and crash-test studies. However, very little data exist for real-life accidents. Therefore, the predictive value of the trauma impact as assessed by the change in velocity of the car due to the collision (ΔV) for the resulting cervical spine injuries were investigated in 57 cases after real-life car accidents.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>ΔV was determined for every car and clinical findings related to the cervical spine were assessed and classified according to the Quebec Task Force (QTF).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In our study, 32 (56%) subjects did not complain about symptoms and were therefore classified as QTF grade 0; 25 (44%) patients complained of neck pain: 8 (14%) were classified as QTF grade I, 6 (10%) as QTF grade II, and 11 (19%) as QTF grade IV. Only a slight correlation (r = 0.55) was found between the reported pain and ΔV. No relevant correlation was found between ΔV and the neck disability index (r = 0.46) and between ΔV and the QTF grade (r = 0.45) for any of the collision types. There was no ΔV threshold associated with acceptable sensitivity and specificity for the prognosis of a cervical spine injury.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results of this study indicate that ΔV is not a conclusive predictor for cervical spine injury in real-life motor vehicle accidents. This is of importance for surgeons involved in medicolegal expertise jobs as well as patients who suffer from whiplash-associated disorders (WADs) after motor vehicle accidents.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>The study complied with applicable German law and with the principles of the Helsinki Declaration and was approved by the institutional ethics commission.</p