The Bird’s-Eye View Education Program: Using Bird Research To Educate The Public On The Importance Of Healthy Riparian Systems

The Upper Clark Fork River Basin (UCFRB) has been degraded by over 100 yrs of mining and smelting activities. The UCFRB is the largest contiguous complex of federal Superfund sites in the nation. Restoration and remediation efforts were initiated in the late 1980s and will continue, at a minimum, through 2030. Any restoration activity should include public education and outreach so that land-use decisions in the future do not compromise the integrity of the ecosystems that support the region. We have developed a program, the Bird’s-eye View Education Program, which integrates public education and research on the ecological health of the UCFRB. Specifically we focus on birds, inviting the public to observe research at songbird banding stations and Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) nests. Riparian-associated birds are likely to respond positively to riparian restoration activities and can be used as bio-indicators to measure success. In 2010 we operated three bird banding stations and monitored 19 Osprey nests. We captured 595 songbirds, collected 43 blood and feather samples from Osprey chicks, and served nearly 1000 participants. The program was an outstanding success and results from an assessment show that participants leave with a positive attitude toward the outdoor science experience and a general knowledge of Upper Clark Fork restoration, history, and its riparian ecosystems

Developing a novel tool to assess the ability to self-administer medication - A systematic evaluation of patients' video recordings in the ABLYMED study

Background: Older people often experience medication management problems due to multimorbidity, polypharmacy and medication complexity. There is often a large gap between patients' self-reported and actual abilities to handle the self -administration of their medication. Here we report on the development and evaluation of a new tool to assess the ability of non-demented hospitalized patients to self-administer medication in different dosage forms. To this end, we video-recorded the patients' medication management performance and implemented a novel assessment scheme, which was applied by several independent raters.Methods: Sixty-seven in-patients > 70 years of age and regularly taking > 5 different drugs autonomously of the ABLYMED study agreed to the video recording of their medication management performance with five different dosage forms. All raters underwent a training and applied a standardized assessment form and written guide with rating rules for evaluation. In a pilot phase, video recordings of three patients were rated by 19 raters (15 medical students, two expert raters to determine a reference standard, and two main raters who later rated the total sample). In the rating phase, based on the ratings obtained from the two main raters, we determined interrater (assessed every section of 20 patients as agreement between the raters at one point of time) and intrarater (assessed as consistency within each rater across three points of time) agreement by intraclass correlation analysis.Results: In the pilot phase we obtained an overall sufficient agreement pattern, with an adjustment of the rating rules for patches. In the rating phase we achieved satisfactory agreement between the two raters (interrater reliability) and across different points of time (intrarater reliability). For two dosage forms (eye-drops and pen), rater training needed to be repeated to reach satisfactory levels.Discussion: Our novel rating procedure was found to be objective, valid and reproducible, given appropriate training of the raters. Our findings are an important part of a larger research project to implement a novel assessment for the ability to self-administer medication in different dosage forms. Further, they can support the development of patient trainings to improve medication management and secure independent living.Paul-Kuth Foundatio

A connectivity ­based parcellation of the left dorsal premotor cortex

peer reviewe

Internal auditory canal volume in normal and malformed inner ears

Purpose: A narrow bony internal auditory canal (IAC) may be associated with a hypoplastic cochlear nerve and poorer hearing performances after cochlear implantation. However, definitions for a narrow IAC vary widely and commonly, qualitative grading or two-dimensional measures are used to characterize a narrow IAC. We aimed to refine the definition of a narrow IAC by determining IAC volume in both control patients and patients with inner ear malformations (IEMs). Methods: In this multicentric study, we included high-resolution CT (HRCT) scans of 128 temporal bones (85 with IEMs: cochlear aplasia, n = 11; common cavity, n = 2; cochlear hypoplasia type, n = 19; incomplete partition type I/III, n = 8/8; Mondini malformation, n = 16; enlarged vestibular aqueduct syndrome, n = 19; 45 controls). The IAC diameter was measured in the axial plane and the IAC volume was measured by semi-automatic segmentation and three-dimensional reconstruction. Results: In controls, the mean IAC diameter was 5.5 mm (SD 1.1 mm) and the mean IAC volume was 175.3 mm3 (SD 52.6 mm3). Statistically significant differences in IAC volumes were found in cochlear aplasia (68.3 mm3, p < 0.0001), IPI (107.4 mm3, p = 0.04), and IPIII (277.5 mm3, p = 0.0004 mm3). Inter-rater reliability was higher in IAC volume than in IAC diameter (intraclass correlation coefficient 0.92 vs. 0.77). Conclusions: Volumetric measurement of IAC in cases of IEMs reduces measurement variability and may add to classifying IEMs. Since a hypoplastic IAC can be associated with a hypoplastic cochlear nerve and sensorineural hearing loss, radiologic assessment of the IAC is crucial in patients with severe sensorineural hearing loss undergoing cochlear implantation. Keywords: 3D segmentation; Cochlear malformation; Diagnosis; Inner ear malformation; Internal auditory canal; Volum

Volumetry improves the assessment of the vestibular aqueduct size in inner ear malformation

Objectives: Enlarged vestibular aqueduct (EVA) is a common finding associated with inner ear malformations (IEM). However, uniform radiologic definitions for EVA are missing and various 2D-measurement methods to define EVA have been reported. This study evaluates VA volume in different types of IEM and compares 3D-reconstructed VA volume to 2D-measurements. Methods: A total of 98 high-resolution CT (HRCT) data sets from temporal bones were analyzed (56 with IEM; [cochlear hypoplasia (CH; n = 18), incomplete partition type I (IPI; n = 12) and type II (IPII; n = 11) and EVA (n = 15)]; 42 controls). VA diameter was measured in axial images. VA volume was analyzed by software-based, semi-automatic segmentation and 3D-reconstruction. Differences in VA volume between the groups and associations between VA volume and VA diameter were assessed. Inter-rater-reliability (IRR) was assessed using the intra-class-correlation-coefficient (ICC). Results: Larger VA volumes were found in IEM compared to controls. Significant differences in VA volume between patients with EVA and controls (p < 0.001) as well as between IPII and controls (p < 0.001) were found. VA diameter at the midpoint (VA midpoint) and at the operculum (VA operculum) correlated to VA volume in IPI (VA midpoint: r = 0.78, VA operculum: r = 0.91), in CH (VA midpoint: r = 0.59, VA operculum: r = 0.61), in EVA (VA midpoint: r = 0.55, VA operculum: r = 0.66) and in controls (VA midpoint: r = 0.36, VA operculum: r = 0.42). The highest IRR was found for VA volume (ICC = 0.90). Conclusions: The VA diameter may be an insufficient estimate of VA volume, since (1) measurement of VA diameter does not reliably correlate with VA volume and (2) VA diameter shows a lower IRR than VA volume. 3D-reconstruction and VA volumetry may add information in diagnosing EVA in cases with or without additional IEM. Keywords: 3D segmentation; Cochlear malformation; Diagnosis; Inner ear malformation; Volum

The vulnerability of northern European vegetation to ozone damage in a changing climate. An assessment based on current knowledge

The potential vulnerability of vegetation at northern latitudes to ozone damage was assessed based on current knowledge with regard to air ozone concentrations and leaf ozone uptake as well as to plant traits affecting ozone tolerance. The focus was on the northern European arctic, alpine and northern boreal vegetation zones, with a special focus on high-altitude vegetation. In particular, we analysed if there are increasing risks for ozone impacts on northern vegetation due to high spring ozone concentrations in relation to climate change induced shifts such as e.g. an earlier start of the growing season. The current state of knowledge implies that ecosystems in the far north are not more susceptible to ozone than vegetation in other parts of Europe. Hence, we cannot advocate for a stronger reduction of ozone precursors emissions based exclusively on the ozone sensitivity of vegetation in the far north. Thus, policies designed to reduce emissions of ozone precursors to protect vegetation in other parts of Europe as well as in the entire northern hemisphere are likely to suffice to protect vegetation in northern Fennoscandia.The report describes an assessment of the potential vulnerability of far northern European vegetation to ozone damage in a changing climate. Scientists from Sweden, Norway and Finland have joined in and the assessments rely on the experience and expertise of the authors. We could not find evidence that expected changes in ozone concentrations and climate would make the northern arctic, alpine and subalpine vegetation substantially more vulnerable to ozone than other types of European vegetation