Alien Registration- Loiselle, Paul M. (Lewiston, Androscoggin County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/29001/thumbnail.jp

Qualitative models to predict impacts of human interventions in a wetland ecosystem

The large shallow wetlands that dominate much of the South American continent are rich in biodiversity and complexity. Many of these undamaged ecosystems are presently being examined for their potential economic utility, putting pressure on local authorities and the conservation community to find ways of correctly utilising the available natural resources without compromising the ecosystem functioning and overall integrity. Contrary to many northern hemisphere ecosystems, there have been little long term ecological studies of these systems, leading to a lack of quantitative data on which to construct ecological or resource use models. As a result, decision makers, even well meaning ones, have difficulty in determining if particular economic activities can potentially cause significant damage to the ecosystem and how one should go about monitoring the impacts of such activities. While the direct impact of many activities is often known, the secondary indirect impacts are usually less clear and can depend on local ecological conditions. <br><br> The use of qualitative models is a helpful tool to highlight potential feedback mechanisms and secondary effects of management action on ecosystem integrity. The harvesting of a single, apparently abundant, species can have indirect secondary effects on key trophic and abiotic compartments. In this paper, loop model analysis is used to qualitatively examine secondary effects of potential economic activities in a large wetland area in northeast Argentina, the Esteros del Ibera. Based on interaction with local actors together with observed ecological information, loop models were constructed to reflect relationships between biotic and abiotic compartments. A series of analyses were made to study the effect of different economic scenarios on key ecosystem compartments. Important impacts on key biotic compartments (phytoplankton, zooplankton, ichthyofauna, aquatic macrophytes) and on the abiotic environment (nutrients and sediment resuspension) were observed through model analysis. These models results do not indicate a definite relationship between activity and a possible impact, but a potential impact that can be further studied and modelled. Likewise, the model is not intended to be an end in itself, but as a tool to help focus further ecological study, monitoring and modelling. In the real world of wetland management, it is not always possible to conduct extensive (and expensive) analysis of all the principal ecological compartments. In the same manner, the construction of larger and more complex models for resource management usually needs to be focused to those areas most likely to effect resource quality or ecosystem functioning. In this light, the development of qualitative models was considered as a first step to help researchers and decision makers focus their efforts (and economic resources) in an intensive ecological sampling programme and the construction of predictive models

Association of Systemic Medication Exposure With Glaucoma Progression and Glaucoma Suspect Conversion in the Groningen Longitudinal Glaucoma Study

PURPOSE. To determine the association of statins, five classes of antihypertensive medications, and proton pump inhibitors with (1) primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) progression and (2) conversion of POAG suspects to POAG. METHODS. We retrospectively investigated the records of a cohort with POAG cases and suspects from the Groningen Longitudinal Glaucoma Study. To quantify visual field (VF) deterioration in cases, we used the rate of progression of the mean deviation (MD). Suspects were considered to have converted at the time point after which two consecutive VF tests for at least one eye were abnormal (glaucoma hernifield test outside normal limits). Progression and conversion were analyzed with quantile and logistic regression, respectively, with the systemic medications as predictors, controlling for age, sex, body mass index, pretreatment IOP, corneal thickness, and baseline MD. The multivariable models were built with and without IOP intervention. RESULTS. No systemic medications were associated with POAG progression in the final IOP/treatment-adjusted or unadjusted model. However, angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) appeared to slow progression in older patients (b = 0.014, P = 0.0001). Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACM) were significantly associated with a decrease in POAG suspect conversion in both the IOP/treatment-adjusted and -unadjusted model (odds ratio [OR] 0.23, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.07-0.79, P = 0.012; OR=0.24, 95% CI 0.07-0.78, P = 0.021, respectively), as were ARBs (OR 0.12, 95% CI 0.01-0.98, P = 0.014; OR 0.11, 95% CI 0.01-0.87, P = 0.005, respectively). CONCLUSIONS. No overall association of VF progression with systemic medication was found; ARBs delayed progression in older patients. ACEIs and ARBs were associated with lower risk of suspect conversion. The pathophysiology of this relationship is to be disentangled

Intraocular and intracranial pressure in glaucoma patients taking acetazolamide

The alternative mechanical theory of glaucoma, in which an increased pressure difference across the lamina cribrosa (difference between intraocular and intracranial pressure; IOP and ICP), rather than solely an elevated IOP, leads to structural and functional vision loss, is still controversial. If the theory is true, a drug that simultaneously lowers both the IOP and ICP may be ineffective. The aim of this study was to determine how acetazolamide (AAZ; a drug prescribed in glaucoma that aims to lower the IOP) affects both IOP and ICP in glaucoma patients and to compare the magnitude and time course of the induced pressure changes with those of healthy subjects not taking AAZ. IOP and noninvasive ICP (measured through emissions from the ear) were measured in 20 glaucoma patients taking 125 mg of AAZ twice daily. Measurements were taken for 30 minutes before taking the drug and for 2 hours post-ingestion. Comparisons were made with 13 age-similar controls. After 12 hours with no anti-glaucoma medication, AAZ did not further reduce IOP in glaucoma patients compared to controls (P = 0.58) but did reduce ICP compared to controls (P = 0.035), by approximately 4 mmHg. Our findings suggest that there are periods during the day when the pressure difference across the lamina cribrosa is larger in case of AAZ use. Future studies should focus on improving the noninvasive ICP testing, different doses and dosing schedules of AAZ, and the time course of IOP in glaucoma patients not taking AAZ

Associations between tinnitus and glaucoma suggest a common mechanism:A clinical and population-based study

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is an association between tinnitus and glaucoma. We tested this by first completing a clinic-based cross-sectional questionnaire study in which we sent a series of tinnitus-related questions to glaucoma patients and healthy subjects, and then followed up with a large population-based cross-sectional study in which glaucoma and tinnitus were also assessed by questionnaire. For the clinical study, we received 209 responses from glaucoma patients and 109 responses from healthy subjects (primarily the spouses of the patients). For the population-based study, we evaluated 79,866 participants. Logistic regression models were used to test the relationship between glaucoma and tinnitus; the clinical study analysis was adjusted for age, gender, BMI, hypertension, and diabetes and the population-based study was adjusted for these same variables with the addition of socioeconomic status and subjective hearing loss. For the clinical study, glaucoma patients had an 85% increase in odds for tinnitus (adjusted OR 1.85, 95% CI 1.10 to 3.05). The effect did not depend on pretreatment intraocular pressure, and the associated symptoms were not pulsatile in nature. For the population-based study, glaucoma patients had a 19% increase in odds for tinnitus (adjusted OR 1.19, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.40). Overall, our results suggest that those with glaucoma are more likely to have tinnitus than those without glaucoma. These results provide hypotheses for a mechanism involved in both tinnitus and glaucoma. One possible mechanism could be vascular dysregulation due to impairment of nitric oxide production

Observations of water transparency in China's lakes from space

Water transparency, usually denoted by Secchi disk depth (SSD), represents the first-order description of water quality and has important implications for the diversity and productivity of aquatic life. In China, lakes supply freshwater and ecosystem services to nearly a billion people. Therefore, real time monitoring of lake transparency is of great significance. Moreover, understanding how and why transparency varies in space and time in response to different driving forces is needed to understand, manage, and predict lake water quality. Based on the time-saving and low-cost Google Earth Engine cloud platform, this study developed a new algorithm for quickly mapping SDDs in Chinese lakes. SDDs were retrieved for 412 Chinese lakes (> 20 km2) for the period 2000–2018. Results demonstrated that lake water depth spatially differentiated transparency. Deep lakes usually had high transparency and water depth explained 88.81 % of the spatial variations. With increasing catchment vegetation coverage and lake water depth, 70.15 % of lakes witnessed increasing transparency during 2000–2018. Of these 42.72 % were significant (p<0.05). Transparency of deep lakes was generally determined by phytoplankton density not sediment resuspension. Minimum transparency occurred in summer. Future increases in lake water levels in response to factors such as climate change may contribute to further improvements in transparency. Management should focus on controlling eutrophication and increasing vegetation cover in catchments

Narrow genetic base in forest restoration with holm oak (Quercus ilex L.) in Sicily

In order to empirically assess the effect of actual seed sampling strategy on genetic diversity of holm oak (Quercus ilex) forestations in Sicily, we have analysed the genetic composition of two seedling lots (nursery stock and plantation) and their known natural seed origin stand by means of six nuclear microsatellite loci. Significant reduction in genetic diversity and significant difference in genetic composition of the seedling lots compared to the seed origin stand were detected. The female and the total effective number of parents were quantified by means of maternity assignment of seedlings and temporal changes in allele frequencies. Extremely low effective maternity numbers were estimated (Nfe $\approx$ 2-4) and estimates accounting for both seed and pollen donors gave also low values (Ne $\approx$ 35-50). These values can be explained by an inappropriate forestry seed harvest strategy limited to a small number of spatially close trees

Clinical Presentation and Treatment of Early-Onset Behavior Disorders: The Role of Parent Emotion Regulation, Emotion Socialization, and Family Income

Parent emotion regulation and socialization have been linked to various aspects of child functioning. In the case of early-onset behavior disorders in particular, parent emotion regulation may be an important correlate of the coercive cycle implicated in early-onset behavior disorders thus, symptom presentation at baseline. Further, emotion socialization may be complicated by a pattern of parent-child interactions in which both supportive or unsupportive parenting behaviors in response to behavioral dysregulation may increase vulnerability for problem behavior in the future. Some work suggests standard Behavioral Parent Training may impact parent emotion regulation and socialization. Still little is known, however, about how such processes may vary by family income, which is critical given the overrepresentation of low-income children in statistics on early-onset behavior disorders. This study explored parent emotion regulation, socialization, and family income in a sample of socioeconomically diverse treatment-seeking families of young (3–8 years old) children. Findings suggest relations between parental emotion regulation, socialization, and child behavior although the pattern of associations differed at baseline and post-treatment and varied by family income. Clinical implications and future directions are discussed