Green Infrastructure Research - Ecoroof Soil Comparisons, ‘which is the best’

Since the beginning of the ecoroof movement in Portland in 1996, soils have been considered the most important component of a successful ecoroof and indeed they are. Yet, to this date, little direct comparative research exists to distinguish between the available proprietary soil blends for vegetation health, rain management, energy insulation and other attributes. Starting in 2017 the LIVE Center began conducting such comparisons and the results are surprising and encouraging. This presentation will show the results, thus far comparing more than 20 different soils, focus is on rain management and vegetation health with preliminary attention to biodiversity

Ecoroof Bio-diversity in residential neighborhoods

Portland’s first ecoroof was built to measure rain management performance. However, unbeknownst to the researcher that little 180sf garage ecoroof would reveal a treasure of biodiversity as well. Installed in 1996 at a NE Pdx residence and then in 2019 removed and then reinstalled on a new residence front porch in SE Pdx. The soil, plants and biodiversity came with it. The researcher continues to monitor the ecoroof for signs of life and has captured evidence of many species who inhabit or visit the ecoroof. This presentation will provide photos of compelling observations. An ecoroof is like the old little grocery store down the street, with birds, bugs, plants, seeds and microorganisms in seasonal abundance. The ecoroof also provides self-storage for some species to stash winter food. Some species forage for seeds, some eat plants and seeds, some gather nesting materials, some come to find other species to eat, and of course the pollinators - doing what they do best

Ecoroof Soils & Systems Comparisons

Abstract Since the beginning of the ecoroof movement in Portland in 1996, soils have been considered the most important component of a successful ecoroof and indeed they are. Yet, to this date, little direct comparative research exists to distinguish between the available proprietary soil blends for vegetation health, rain management, energy insulation and other attributes. Starting in 2017 the LIVE Center began conducting such comparisons and the results are surprising and encouraging. In 2020 this presentation covered 20 soils, this year the presentation will show results of comparing more than 40 different soils and proprietary systems, focus is on rain management, vegetation health, energy, costs and limited attention to bio-diversity

Association of Catechol-O-methyltransferase single nucleotide polymorphisms, ethnicity, and sex in a large cohort of fibromyalgia patients

Abstract Background Fibromyalgia (FM) is a complex, centralized pain condition that is often difficult to diagnose and treat. FM is considered to have a genetic background due to its familial aggregation and due to findings from multiple candidate-gene studies implicating catecholaminergic and serotonergic neurotransmitter systems in chronic pain. However, a multi-factorial analysis of both genetic and environmental risk factors is lacking. A better characterization of the interplay of risk factors may assist in understanding the pathophysiology of FM, its clinical course, and assist in early diagnosis and treatment of the disorder. Methods This retrospective study included 60,367 total participants from 237 clinics across the USA. Of those, 2713 had been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, as indicated by ICD code. Logistic regression was used to test for associations of diagnosed FM in study subjects with COMT SNPs and COMT haplotypes, which were previously found to be linked with pain sensitivity, as well as demographics such as age, sex, and ethnicity. The minor allele frequencies of COMT SNPs in the FM population were compared with 1000 Genomes data using a χ2 test to determine significant deviations from the estimated population allelic frequencies. Results FM diagnosis was strongly associated with sex, age, and ethnicity. Females, those between 49 and 63 years, and non-Caucasians were at higher risk of FM. Females had 1.72 increased odds of FM (p = 1.17 × 10− 30). African-Americans were 1.52 times more likely to have a diagnosis of FM compared to Caucasians (p = 3.11 × 10− 12). Hispanics were less likely to have a diagnosis of FM compared to Caucasians (p = 3.95 × 10− 7). After adjusting for sex and ethnicity, those in the low age group and mid age group had 1.29 (p = 1.02 × 10− 5) and 1.60 (p = 1.93 × 10− 18) increased odds of FM, respectively, compared to the high age group, where age was categorized by tertile (low ( 63)). The COMT haplotypes associated with pain sensitivity were not associated with FM, but African-Americans were 11.3 times more likely to have a high pain sensitivity COMT diplotype, regardless of FM diagnosis. However, the minor alleles of COMT SNPs rs4680, rs4818, rs4633 and rs6269 were overrepresented in the FM population overall, and varied when compared with ethnically-similar populations from 1000 Genomes. Conclusions This is the largest study, to date, that examines demographic and genetic associations of FM in a diverse population. While pain sensitivity-associated COMT haplotypes were not found to be directly associated with FM diagnosis, the minor alleles that make up the COMT haplotypes were overrepresented in the FM population, suggesting a role of COMT in FM. Future studies are needed to elucidate the exact role of COMT variation in widespread pain conditions, such as FM. Clinically, this information can be used to provide insight into the pathways underlying FM and to identify those at greater risk of developing FM

UERC 2022 Symposium Day 1 Recording

Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium (UERC) Portland, OR - Vancouver, WA Metropolitan Region, 2022 Symposium Day 1 recording. Containing keynote and presentations given on March 7th 2022