An Investigation of Spatial and Temporal Variability in Several of Montana\u27s Reference Streams: Working Toward a More Holistic Management Strategy

Water temperature is a physical property that fundamentally affects stream ecology and is considered an important water quality parameter from scientific and legal view points. On global, catchment and reach scales, anthropogenic activities have substantially altered natural stream temperature regimes, impairing these systems’ ability to maintain ecological integrity. Thermal degradation often can be attributed to a variety of human activities, and global climate change, which has been accelerated by the demands of an exponentially expanding human population, will play a central role in defining stream temperature regimes in the future. Natural spatial and temporal variability in stream temperatures adds to the complexity of regulating thermal pollution and restoring natural conditions of stream ecosystems. As such, managers would benefit from a comprehensive understanding of the thermal dynamics and primary drivers, including air temperature, of the thermal energy budgets in unaltered, or reference, streams. In this study, a random coefficient regression model was developed and used to analyze variability in summer daily average water temperatures and the relationship between summer daily average air and water temperatures of thirty-six of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality’s reference streams. These streams represent four of Montana’s seven Level III ecoregions: Middle Rockies, Northern Rockies, Northwestern Glaciated Plains, and Northwestern Great Plains. Variability in stream temperatures between ecoregions, between streams within ecoregions, and the air-water temperature relationship were primary considerations. This model indicates that there is not significant variability between ecoregions in Montana’s reference stream temperatures and in the air-water temperature relationship. Alternately, the model indicates that there is significant variability between streams within each ecoregion in reference stream temperatures and the air-water temperature relationship. Equations representing the expected daily average water temperatures of reference streams, given values of daily average air temperature with zero and one-day lag, are also presented. Finally, the management implications of this predictive model are discussed, and a holistic approach is recommended for developing thermal regime-based stream temperature standards, which are critical for the restoration and maintenance of ecological integrity, based on ‘natural’ conditions in reference streams

Stress dynamics in long-term isolation at sea. A demographic variables model

The current article describes a naturalistic research programme carried out among fishermen during a 6-month expedition to the southern Atlantic Ocean. Stress levels of 81 participants were measured 4 times during the expedition. Social-demographic variables (age, years of experience at sea, job satisfaction, education, current and childhood place of residence, relationship status) were also included in the analysis. Results show that these variables should be considered when analysing stress dynamics among people experiencing long-term work-related isolation

Exhibiting STEAM: Curating Community Conversations through Library Collections

This article discusses the successful collaboration of an art librarian, a science librarian, and a special collections librarian in their efforts to engage the community in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) conversations through the curation of a STEAM-based exhibition of artist books. The exhibition was an opportunity to showcase STEAM’s interdisciplinarity through library collections that, until this point, had remained unexplored. The goal was to demonstrate how scientific principles have inspired both contemporary artists and those throughout history, dispelling the myth that artists are not influenced by science. The Libraries’ Special Collections proved an excellent resource to investigate these ideas as it held numerous artist books that take science as their subject. An opportunity also presented itself to commission a regional artist and University alumna to create a new artist book based on scientific collections held at the University\u27s natural history museum, as well as work with the local middle school to engage students in the making of artist books

RISS Review: Medieval Digital Resources

Review of RISS Review: Medieval Digital Resources, Reviewed April 2019 by Rachel Makarowski Special Collections Librarian Miami University [email protected]

Missoula Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and Analysis, 2003-2008: Toward A Blueprint For Municipal Sustainability

The City of Missoula has been a signer on the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement for three mayor administrations, with Mayor John Engen renewing the pledge shortly after he took office in 2006. Mayor Engen and the City of Missoula formed a partnership in January 2009 with The University of Montana and Professor Robin Saha of the Environmental Studies Program to complete an emissions inventory of municipal operations. The specific goals of the report are: 1. To present a baseline greenhouse gas emissions inventory for the City of Missoula that quantifies total energy use and associated emissions for municipal operations. 2. To identify major sources of municipal GHG emissions and relative contributions within and among the various sectors examined. 3. To analyze changes and trends in energy use, costs and emissions from Fiscal Years (FY) 2003 to 2008. 4. To identify opportunities and offer recommendations to achieve future municipal GHG emission reductions and energy cost savings

Effect of High-Fat and Low-Fat Dairy Products on Cardiometabolic Risk Factors and Immune Function in a Low Birthweight Swine Model of Diet-Induced Insulin Resistance

Although dairy intake has been shown to have a neutral or some beneficial effect on major cardiometabolic risk factors, the impact of dairy, and especially dairy fat, on immune function remains to be investigated. To understand the effect of consuming dairy fat on cardiometabolic risk factors and immune function, we used an established low birthweight (LBW) swine model of diet-induced insulin resistance to compare high-fat and low-fat dairy products to a control high-fat diet (CHF). LBW piglets were randomized to consume one of the 3 experimental HF diets: (1) CHF, (2) CHF diet supplemented with 3 servings/day of high-fat dairy (HFDairy) and (3) CHF diet supplemented with 3 servings/day of low-fat dairy (LFDairy). As comparison groups, normal birthweight (NBW) piglets were fed a CHF (NBW-CHF) or standard pig grower diet (NBW-Chow). A total of 35 pigs completed the study and were fed for a total of 7 weeks, including 1 week of CHF transition diet. At 12 weeks of age, piglets were euthanized. Fasting blood and tissue samples were collected. Ex vivo cytokine production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) stimulated with pokeweed (PWM), phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and phorbol myristate acetate-ionomycin (PMA-I) were assessed. As expected, LBW-CHF piglets showed early signs of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR, P model = 0.08). Feeding high-fat dairy products improved fasting plasma glucose concentrations more than low-fat dairy compared to LBW-CHF (P < 0.05). Irrespective of fat content, dairy consumption had neutral effect on fasting lipid profile. We have also observed lower production of IL-2 after PWM and PHA stimulation as well as lower production of TNF-α and IFN-γ after PWM stimulation in LBW-CHF than in NBW-Chow (all, P < 0.05), suggesting impaired T cell and antigen presenting cell function. While feeding high-fat dairy had minimal effect on immune function, feeding low-fat dairy significantly improved the production of IL-2, TNF-α and IFN-γ after PWM stimulation, IL-2 and IFN-γ after PHA stimulation as well as TNF-α after PMA-I stimulation compared to LBW-CHF (all, P < 0.05). These data provide novel insights into the role of dairy consumption in counteracting some obesity-related cardiometabolic and immune perturbations

Coping strategies and perceiving stress among athletes during different waves of the COVID-19 Pandemic—Data from Poland, Romania, and Slovakia

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has affected numerous aspects of human functioning. Social contacts, work, education, travel, and sports have drastically changed during the lockdown periods. The pandemic restrictions have severely limited professional athletes’ ability to train and participate in competitions. For many who rely on sports as their main source of income, this represents a source of intense stress. To assess the dynamics of perceived stress as well as coping strategies during different waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, we carried out a longitudinal study using the Perception of Stress Questionnaire and the Brief COPE on a sample of 2020 professional athletes in Poland, Romania, and Slovakia. The results revealed that in all three countries, the highest intrapsychic stress levels were reported during the fourth wave (all, p < 0.01) and the highest external stress levels were reported before the pandemic (p < 0.05). To analyze the data, analyses of variance were carried out using Tukey’s post hoc test and η2 for effect size. Further, emotional tension was the highest among Polish and Slovak athletes in the fourth wave, while the highest among Romanian athletes was in the pre-pandemic period. The coping strategies used by the athletes in the fourth wave were more dysfunctional than during the first wave (independent t test and Cohen’s d were used). The dynamics of the coping strategies—emotion focused and problem focused—were also discussed among Polish, Romanian, and Slovak athletes. Coaches and sports psychologists can modify the athletes’ perceived stress while simultaneously promoting effective coping strategies.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Egg-Phosphatidylcholine Attenuates T-Cell Dysfunction in High-Fat Diet Fed Male Wistar Rats

Obesity is associated with immune dysfunction including an impaired T-cell function characterized by a lower IL-2 (proliferation marker) production after stimulation. Phosphatidylcholine (PC), a form of choline mostly found in eggs, has been shown to beneficially modulate T-cell responses during the lactation period by increasing the production of IL-2. To determine the impact of egg-PC as part of a high-fat diet on immune function we randomly fed male Wistar rats one of three diets containing the same amount of total choline but differing in the form of choline: 1—Control low fat [CLF, 10% wt/wt fat, 100% free choline (FC)]; 2— Control high-fat (CHF, 25% wt/wt fat, 100% FC); 3— PC high-fat (PCHF, 25% wt/wt, 100% PC). After 9 weeks of feeding, rats were euthanized. Cell phenotypes and ex vivo cytokine production by splenocytes stimulated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate plus ionomycin (PMA+I), lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and pokeweed (PWM) were measured by flow cytometry and ELISA, respectively. Rats fed the PCHF diet had a lower proportion of CD3+ cells when compared to both the CLF and the CHF. Following PMA+I stimulation, splenocytes from the CHF group produced less IL-2 and TNF-α compared to CLF and PCHF groups. No significant differences in cytokine production were found among groups after LPS and PWM stimulation. Our results show that feeding a high-fat diet impairs T-cell responses, as measured by ex vivo cytokine production, which can be attenuated by providing egg-PC