Frailty and the Burden of Concurrent and Incident Disability in Patients With Cirrhosis: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Frailty results from the chronic effects of malnutrition and muscle wasting in patients with cirrhosis. It is well-established that frailty is strongly associated with mortality in this population. However, little is known of its relationship with physical disability, a critical patient-centered outcome. Adults with cirrhosis underwent outpatient testing of frailty using the Liver Frailty Index (LFI) and disability using activities of daily living (ADL; range 0-6) and Instrumental ADL (IADL; range 0-8) scales at one center between 2012 and 2016. We used adjusted multilevel logistic mixed-effects regression to test the association between frailty and current disability (impairment with ≥1 ADL or IADL) and incident disability at 6 months among those without baseline disability. Of the 983 participants, 20% were robust, 32% were less robust, 33% were prefrail, and 15% were frail; 587 (60%) had at least 1 assessment. The percentage of participants with at least 1 baseline ADL or IADL impairment was 28% and 37%, respectively. In adjusted regression models, each point LFI increase was associated with a 3.3 and 4.6 higher odds of current difficulty with at least 1 ADL and IADL (P < 0.001 for each), respectively. Among participants without baseline disability, each point LFI increase was associated with a 2.6 and 1.7 higher odds of having difficulty with at least 1 ADL and IADL at 6 months, respectively. Conclusion: Frailty is strongly associated with concurrent and incident disability in patients with cirrhosis. In the clinic, the LFI can be used to identify those in greatest need for additional support/resources to maintain functional independence. In research settings, the LFI may help to identify an enriched population for clinical trials of interventions aimed at those most vulnerable to disability

Nucleosynthesis: Stellar and Solar Abundances and Atomic Data

Abundance observations indicate the presence of often surprisingly large amounts of neutron capture (i.e., s- and r-process) elements in old Galactic halo and globular cluster stars. These observations provide insight into the nature of the earliest generations of stars in the Galaxy -- the progenitors of the halo stars -- responsible for neutron-capture synthesis. Comparisons of abundance trends can be used to understand the chemical evolution of the Galaxy and the nature of heavy element nucleosynthesis. In addition age determinations, based upon long-lived radioactive nuclei abundances, can now be obtained. These stellar abundance determinations depend critically upon atomic data. Improved laboratory transition probabilities have been recently obtained for a number of elements. These new gf values have been used to greatly refine the abundances of neutron-capture elemental abundances in the solar photosphere and in very metal-poor Galactic halo stars. The newly determined stellar abundances are surprisingly consistent with a (relative) Solar System r-process pattern, and are also consistent with abundance predictions expected from such neutron-capture nucleosynthesis.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, 1 table. To appear in the Proceedings of the NASA Laboratory Astrophysics Workshop in Las Vegas, NV (February 2006

An investigation of vegetation and other earth resource/feature parameters using LANDSAT and other remote sensing data. A: LANDSAT. B: Remote sensing of volcanic emissions

There are no author-identified significant results in this report

Patterns in Southeast Florida Coral Reef Community Composition

The Southeast (SE) Florida coral reef system is the northern extension of the Florida reef tract. This high latitude system lies offshore a heavily populated and urbanized coast and therefore is affected by numerous environmental and anthropogenic stressors. Using annual monitoring data collected in 2004, the southeast lorida reef community was analyzed to investigate patterns in community composition in various habitat types. Data was collected by SCUBA divers who conducted a 30m2 belt transect survey at 24 sample sites offshore Broward County (SE), Florida. Sites ranged in depth range from six to 18 meters. The 24 sites occurred on five different reef habitat categories: ridge-shallow, colonized pavement-shallow, linear inner reef, linear middle reef, and linear outer reef. These sites were established for the Broward County Board of County Commissioners and Environmental Protection and Growth Management Department, Biological Resources Division, in order to monitor Broward County coral communities and sedimentation rates in relation to possible effects from a beach renourishment project. The assessment took place prior to the renourishment project

Biological Survey Report for the Calypso Natural Gas Pipeline: Shore Approach Route North of Port Everglades Entrance Channel with Landing South of Port Everglades Entrance Channel

The Calypso Natural Gas Pipeline Project (project) will include a 24-inch pipeline which will extend from the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off the southeast Florida coastline to a shore approach at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This report, which was commissioned in May 2001 and completed in July, 2001, documents the results of a detailed biological survey of underwater marine habitats from 5 to 200 feet water depth for the pipeline route. The route, which was established based on the subsea survey that was completed in May 2001 by Williamson & Associates, Inc., includes a shore approach from the north of the Port Everglades entrance channel to a pipeline landing site south of the Port Everglades entrance channel. The purpose of this biological survey report was to identify benthic characteristics within the nearshore pipeline corridor and to identify and evaluate potential temporary impacts to the marine ecosystems. The pipeline corridor investigated was 300 feet wide and extended from the shoreline to the 200 foot water depth, a distance of approximately 14,000 feet. In addition, some video surveying was conducted to approximately the 250-foot depth contour (an additional distance of approximately 500 feet). Underwater survey methods included use of SCUBA diving to conduct underwater quantitative biological transects and integrated video mapping using a vessel towed system which provided a permanent record together with a DGPS location. Remote sensing information included use of aerial photographs and LIDAR bathymetry to guide habitat delineation. A total of eight (8) benthic habitats were defined within the pipeline corridor. These habitats included: 1. First Reef 2. Submerged Breakwater/Spoil 3. Second Reef 4. Second Reef-Sand Complex 5. Sand 6. Third Reef 7. Third Reef-Sand Complex, and 8. Third Reef Transitional. Density (number per m2) of hard corals, soft corals, and sponges was determined at several representative transects within certain habitats. Results of the study indicated that overall coverage by hard corals, soft corals, and sponges is very low in the proposed project area. Along the proposed pipeline route, percent hard coral coverage ranged from 0.16% in the Submerged Breakwater / Spoil Area to 1.34% in the Third Reef habitat. Soft coral density was lowest in Second Reef-Sand Complex (0.02 soft corals per m2) and highest at the Third Reef (11.85 soft corals per m2). Sponge density varied from 0.23 sponges per m2 in the Submerged Breakwater / Spoil Area to 19.48 sponges per m2in the Second Reef zone. Previous surveys in the general project vicinity indicate that no zooxanthellate reef-building hard corals occur in water depths greater than about 120 feet of seawater (FSW). Direct impacts of approximately 1.60 acres of hardbottom habitat characterized by very low coverage by hard corals, sponges and soft corals are expected. These impacts will occur at proposed horizontal directional drilling exit or entrance holes, laydown areas of pipeline, trenching, and blanketing to bury pipeline from the Port Everglades entrance channel from the shoreline to the 200-foot depth contour, as shown in Tables 5, 6, and 7. A further approximately 4.34 acres of area would be affected adversely by temporary indirect effects (i.e., sedimentation and turbidity) effects as shown in Tables 8, 9, and 10. Table 11 provides a summary total that 5.94 acres of hardbottom habitat would be directly or indirectly affected. In addition, approximately 0.008 acres of very sparse seagrass (Halophila decipiens) will be directly impacted. Finally, no threatened or endangered species (including the federally threatened seagrass Halophila johnsonii) were observed in the project area. Observations were conducted to the approximate 250-foot depth contour. Video surveys to that depth indicated benthic conditions consistent with those of the Third Reef Transitional complex and open sand. Project activities beyond 200 FSW will consist only of pipe placement directly on the sea bottom

Coral Reefs: Threats and Conservation in an Era of Global Change

Coral reefs are iconic, threatened ecosystems that have been in existence for ∼500 million years, yet their continued ecological persistence seems doubtful at present. Anthropogenic modification of chemical and physical atmospheric dynamics that cause coral death by bleaching and newly emergent diseases due to increased heat and irradiation, as well as decline in calcification caused by ocean acidification due to increased CO2, are the most important large-scale threats. On more local scales, overfishing and destructive fisheries, coastal construction, nutrient enrichment, increased runoff and sedimentation, and the introduction of nonindigenous invasive species have caused phase shifts away from corals. Already ∼20% of the world\u27s reefs are lost and ∼26% are under imminent threat. Conservation science of coral reefs is well advanced, but its practical application has often been lagging. Societal priorites, economic pressures, and legal/administrative systems of many countries are more prone to destroy rather than conserve coral-reef ecosystems. Nevertheless, many examples of successful conservation exist from the national level to community-enforced local action. When effectively managed, protected areas have contributed to regeneration of coral reefs and stocks of associated marine resources. Local communities often support coral-reef conservation in order to raise income potential associated with tourism and/or improved resource levels. Coral reefs create an annual income in S-Florida alone of over $4 billion. Thus, no conflict between development, societal welfare, and coral-reef conservation needs to exist. Despite growing threats, it is not too late for decisive action to protect and save these economically and ecologically high-value ecosystems. Conservation science plays a critical role in designing effective strategies

Simulating Windows-Based Cyber Attacks Using Live Virtual Machine Introspection

Static memory analysis has been proven a valuable technique for digital forensics. However, the memory capture technique halts the system causing the loss of important dynamic system data. As a result, live analysis techniques have emerged to complement static analysis. In this paper, a compiled memory analysis tool for virtualization (CMAT-V) is presented as a virtual machine introspection (VMI) utility to conduct live analysis during simulated cyber attacks. CMAT-V leverages static memory dump analysis techniques to provide live system state awareness. CMAT-V parses an arbitrary memory dump from a simulated guest operating system (OS) to extract user information, network usage, active process information and registry files. Unlike some VMI applications, CMAT-V bridges the semantic gap using derivation techniques. This provides increased operating system compatibility for current and future operating systems. This research demonstrates the usefulness of CMAT-V as a situational awareness tool during simulated cyber attacks and measures the overall performance of CMAT-V

Hypothesis-based Restoration Study For Mitigation of a Damaged SE Florida Coral Reef: A Work in Progress

The United States Submarine Memphis (Figure 1) ran aground in approximately 10 meter depth on a coral reef off southeast Florida (Figure 2) February 25, 1993. Extensive physical damage to the reef substrate and injury to the coral community were attributed to the initial grounding and subsequent attempts to free the submarine from the impacted reef (Figures 3 and 4). The impact of the grounding was assessed, and the area of damage was determined through field and photographic studies. An impacted area of 2,310 m2 was assessed with 1,205 m2 having been totally destroyed (Figures 3 and 4). In 1997, the State of Florida was awarded a settlement of $750,000 by the Federal government for environmental damages caused by the submarine grounding. A plan to perform hypothesis testing of restoration techniques was developed and initiated. Using artificial reefs as experimental platforms, we are examining three restoration strategies: 1) the potential of enhancing coral recruitment through the use of coral larval attractants, 2) the effect of reef structure on the associated fish assemblages, and 3) the interaction between fish assemblages and coral recruitment and survival

Success and Growth of Corals Transplanted to Cement Armor Mat Tiles in Southeast Florida: Implications for Reef Restoration

In 1997, 271 scleractinian corals growing on a sewer outfall pipe were used in a transplantation study offshore from North Dade County, Florida, USA. Corals were removed from the outfall pipe and transplanted onto concrete armor mat tiles used to cover the pipe. Success (number of corals still attached and alive), mortality (number of dead corals), and growth rates of the transplants were assessed between December 1997 and December 1999. Colony surface area and radius length were measured on scanned photographs to estimate horizontal growth rate. After two years post-transplantation, success rate and overall mortality were 87% and 7.8% respectively. In comparison, seven sites of nearby natural substrate corals had mean success rates of 83% and mortality rates ranging from 11-17%. The two most numerous transplant species, Solenastrea bournoniand Siderastrea siderea, had comparable success and mortality rates; however, S. bournoni had a significantly faster growth rate (increase in horizontal radius and surface area). The colony size at time of transplantation was not related to the rate of growth; however, mortality and partial mortality rates increased with smaller size colonies. The methodology used in this investigation is useful for assessing transplanted corals because it is non-invasive, allows continual monitoring, and is applicable to corals growing on natural and artificial substrates

Analysis of Factors Influencing Southeast Florida Coral Reef Community Composition

The southeast Florida reef system lies offshore a heavily populated and urbanized coast. These high latitude reefs are not only affected by their geography but also by anthropogenic factors that accompany an urban area such as dredging activities, ship groundings, waste water outfalls, runoff and beach erosion. Sedimentation has been shown to influence stony coral community composition including dominance, abundance, cover, diversity, and colony size. Using annual monitoring data collected since 2000, the southeastern Florida reef community is being analyzed to examine if and how sedimentation and other factors such as depth, distance from shore and distance from port channels might influence community composition. All data was collected by SCUBA divers conducting 30m2 belt transect surveys at 24 sites offshore Broward County (southeast), Florida within a depth range of 6 to 18 meters. Stony coral data included colony size, abundance, diversity, percent cover, and mortality. Sponge and octocoral density were collected to gather a more complete picture of community composition. Three sediment bottles at each annually monitored site were collected every 60 days. Weight and grain size of the contents were analyzed and used to determine sedimentation rates at each site. Additionally, the reefs off the southeast Florida coast can be categorized into unique habitat types. These habitat types are also being considered when studying reef community composition and its relationship to sedimentation and other factors