Beluga, Delphinapterus leucas, Habitat Associations in Cook Inlet, Alaska

A review of available information describing habitat associations for belugas, Delphinapterus leucas, in Cook Inlet was undertaken to complement population assessment surveys from 1993-2000. Available data for physical, biological, and anthropogenic factors in Cook Inlet are summarized followed by a provisional description of seasonal habitat associations. To summarize habitat preferences, the beluga summer distribution pattern was used to partition Cook Inlet into three regions. In general, belugas congregate in shallow, relatively warm, low-salinity water near major river outflows in upper Cook Inlet during summer (defined as their primary habitat), where prey availability is comparatively high and predator occurrence relatively low. In winter, belugas are seen in the central inlet, but sightings are fewer in number, and whales more dispersed compared to summer. Belugas are associated with a range of ice conditions in winter, from ice-free to 60% ice-covered water. Natural catastrophic events, such as fires, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions, have had no reported effect on beluga habitat, although such events likely affect water quality and, potentially, prey availability. Similarly, although sewage effluent and discharges from industrial and military activities along Cook Inlet negatively affect water quality, analyses of organochlorines and heavy metal burdens indicate that Cook Inlet belugas are not assimilating contaminant loads greater than any other Alaska beluga stocks. Offshore oil and gas activities and vessel traffic are high in the central inlet compared with other Alaska waters, although belugas in Cook Inlet seem habituated to these anthropogenic factors. Anthropogenic factors that have the highest potential negative impacts on belugas include subsistence hunts (not discussed in this report), noise from transportation and offshore oil and gas extraction (ship transits and aircraft overflights), and water quality degradation (from urban runoff and sewage treatment facilities). Although significant impacts from anthropogenic factors other than hunting are not yet apparent, assessment of potential impacts from human activities, especially those that may effect prey availability, are needed

Interstitial lung disease in the elderly

Background Despite the relationship between idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and advancing age, little is known about the epidemiology of interstitial lung disease (ILD) in the elderly. We describe the diagnoses, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of patients who were elderly at the time of ILD diagnosis. Methods Among subjects from a prospective cohort study of ILD, elderly was defined as age ≥ 70 years. Diagnoses were derived from a multidisciplinary review. Differences between elderly and nonelderly groups were determined using the χ2 test and analysis of variance. Results Of the 327 subjects enrolled, 80 (24%) were elderly. The majority of elderly subjects were white men. The most common diagnoses were unclassifiable ILD (45%), IPF (34%), connective tissue disease (CTD)-ILD (11%), and hypersensitivity pneumonitis (8%). Most elderly subjects (74%) with unclassifiable ILD had an imaging pattern inconsistent with usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP). There were no significant differences in pulmonary function or 3-year mortality between nonelderly and elderly subjects combined or in a subgroup analysis of those with IPF. Conclusions Although IPF was the single most common diagnosis, the majority of elderly subjects had non-IPF ILD. Our findings highlight the need for every patient with new-onset ILD, regardless of age, to be surveyed for exposures and findings of CTD. Unclassifiable ILD was common among the elderly, but for most, the radiographic pattern was inconsistent with UIP. Although the effect of ILD may be more pronounced in the elderly due to reduced global functionality, ILD was not more severe or aggressive in this group

Unleashing the Potential of University Entrepreneurship Education: A Mandate for a Broader Perspective

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to highlight the ways in which traditional views of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship have inadvertently limited entrepreneurship education. The authors propose a broader view of what it means to be an entrepreneur and describe a disruptive approach to entrepreneurship education, one that centers around building students’ entrepreneurial mindset. By tapping into students’ “inner entrepreneur” and nurturing their abilities to think and act creatively, embrace failure, effect change and be resilient, the authors are preparing them for the challenges of the twenty-first century labor market. Design/methodology/approach – This is a perspective paper about how the traditional views of entrepreneurship education may be limiting its potential to create entrepreneurial college graduates set to take on twenty-first century careers. Findings – Teaching the entrepreneurial mindset and process will allow us, as educators, to best prepare our students for the complexities of the current and future workforce. Originality/value – By embracing the original meanings of the word “entrepreneur” – an act of reaching out and capturing and undertaking – the authors demystify what it means to be an entrepreneur. When we adopt a broader and more accurate conceptualization of “the entrepreneur,” we can teach our students to be the entrepreneurs of their lives

Exposure to ambient particulate matter is associated with accelerated functional decline in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

BACKGROUND: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a progressive disease with an unknown pathogenesis, may be due in part to an abnormal response to injurious stimuli by alveolar epithelial cells. Air pollution and particulate inhalation of matter evoke a wide variety of pulmonary and systemic inflammatory diseases. We therefore hypothesized that increased average ambient particulate matter (PM) concentrations would be associated with an accelerated rate of decline in FVC in IPF. METHODS: We identified a cohort of subjects seen at a single university referral center from 2007 to 2013. Average concentrations of particulate matter < 10 and < 2.5 μg/m3 (PM10 and PM2.5, respectively) were assigned to each patient based on geocoded residential addresses. A linear multivariable mixed-effects model determined the association between the rate of decline in FVC and average PM concentration, controlling for baseline FVC at first measurement and other covariates. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-five subjects were included in the final analysis after exclusion of subjects missing repeated spirometry measurements and those for whom exposure data were not available. There was a significant association between PM10 levels and the rate of decline in FVC during the study period, with each μg/m3 increase in PM10 corresponding with an additional 46 cc/y decline in FVC (P = .008). CONCLUSIONS: Ambient air pollution, as measured by average PM10 concentration, is associated with an increase in the rate of decline of FVC in IPF, suggesting a potential mechanistic role for air pollution in the progression of disease

Microbial lineages in sarcoidosis. A metagenomic analysis tailored for low–microbial content samples

RATIONALE: The etiology of sarcoidosis is unknown, but microbial agents are suspected as triggers. OBJECTIVES: We sought to identify bacterial, fungal, or viral lineages in specimens from patients with sarcoidosis enriched relative to control subjects using metagenomic DNA sequencing. Because DNA from environmental contamination contributes disproportionately to samples with low authentic microbial content, we developed improved methods for filtering environmental contamination. METHODS: We analyzed specimens from subjects with sarcoidosis (n = 93), control subjects without sarcoidosis (n = 72), and various environmental controls (n = 150). Sarcoidosis specimens consisted of two independent sets of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded lymph node biopsies, BAL, Kveim reagent, and fresh granulomatous spleen from a patient with sarcoidosis. All specimens were analyzed by bacterial 16S and fungal internal transcribed spacer ribosomal RNA gene sequencing. In addition, BAL was analyzed by shotgun sequencing of fractions enriched for viral particles, and Kveim and spleen were subjected to whole-genome shotgun sequencing. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: In one tissue set, fungi in the Cladosporiaceae family were enriched in sarcoidosis compared with nonsarcoidosis tissues; in the other tissue set, we detected enrichment of several bacterial lineages in sarcoidosis but not Cladosporiaceae. BAL showed limited enrichment of Aspergillus fungi. Several microbial lineages were detected in Kveim and spleen, including Cladosporium. No microbial lineage was enriched in more than one sample type after correction for multiple comparisons. CONCLUSIONS: Metagenomic sequencing revealed enrichment of microbes in single types of sarcoidosis samples but limited concordance across sample types. Statistical analysis accounting for environmental contamination was essential to avoiding false positives

In Utero Xylazine Exposure Associated with Feeding Difficulties in Infants with Neonatal Opioid Exposure

Background Xylazine, a non-opioid alpha-2-adrenergic veterinary tranquilizer, has become a significant adulterant in the US illicit drug supply. In Vermont, xylazine is nearly ubiquitous in fentanyl and heroin. Data from veterinary medicine implies potentially serious implications for fetal growth and development but currently little is known about the effects of xylazine in human fetuses and infants. Objective To describe symptomology associated with xylazine exposure and withdrawal in infants with gestational opioid exposure. Design/Methods This is a retrospective chart review of infants born \u3e35 weeks and monitored for neonatal opioid exposure between August 2022-October 2024 at the University of Vermont Children’s Hospital. Xylazine exposure was identified by drug testing or parental report. Data related to growth, withdrawal symptoms and feeding patterns were collected. Results Xylazine-exposed infants more consistently had difficulty feeding than those without known exposure, and those treated with methadone and clonidine did not show improvement in feeding symptoms following treatment. Infants who required NG feeds took an average of 12 days to reach full ad lib oral feeds (range 6-22 days). One infant did not require gavage feeding but later required g-tube placement due to poor oral intake. One infant had only early pregnancy exposure and no feeding difficulty. Exposed infants were noted by SLP to have oral greater than pharyngeal stage difficulties characterized by reduced latch, ineffective nutritive suck pattern and difficulty with suck-swallow-breathe organization. All exposed infants required increased caregiver support and compensatory strategies to promote developmentally appropriate oral feeds, reduce risk of feeding-induced cardiorespiratory events, and improve feeding quality. Discussion With virtually no data regarding xylazine use in pregnancy in humans and replicable data demonstrating serious implications to fetal growth of xylazine exposure in animal pregnancies, there is a need for more research to determine the impact of this growing public health concern to neonates. More robust data of the effects of xylazine on the developing fetus and its withdrawal on infants may guide prenatal and neonatal care as well as public health approaches and community harm reduction strategies

Gender and leadership aspiration: The impact of work-life initiatives

Despite the increase in female leaders, women still remain a minority. As aspiration, defined as the interest for achieving a leadership position, is one predictor of advancement, it is important to understand conditions fostering female leadership aspiration. Because women face more domestic and child care responsibilities, we predict that there is an interaction between gender and work–life initiatives. These initiatives help employees balance their work and private life through simplifying the integration and diminishing tension between the two spheres. Because the work–life interface poses greater challenges for women, we hypothesize that work–life initiatives have a stronger influence on women's leadership aspiration. Results of a survey of N = 402 employed men and women supported this hypothesis. The interaction effect of gender and work–life initiatives on leadership aspiration was positive, implying that women's leadership aspiration is more influenced by work–life initiatives. Our other hypothesis which states that work–life initiatives—regardless of gender—are positively related to leadership aspiration was supported. Hence, men's leadership aspiration also was positively influenced by the availability of such initiatives. This study suggests that by implementing work–life initiatives, such as flexible work arrangements, leaves of absence, or on-site child assistance, organizations may encourage leadership aspiration for both genders. Our data show that the interaction effect of gender and work–life initiatives was positively related to leadership aspiration, but this may particularly hold true for women

Moral Disengagement in Social Media Generated Big Data

Big data raises manifold ethical questions. While there is a certain consensus on general principles for addressing these issues, little is known about when and why decision-makers display such ethical conduct or opt for unethical behavior with regard to collecting, storing, analyzing, or using big data. To address this research gap, we draw on the concept of moral disengagement. Moral disengagement describes psychological mechanisms by which individuals rationalize and thus disengage themselves from unethical conduct. We develop a theoretical model in which the motivation for monetary benefits as well as the motivation for hedonic benefits is set into relation to moral disengagement and the tendency to make unethical decisions in the context of social media generated big data. Our model spells out four sets of testable propositions that invite further research