Mosses of the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area (Kentucky)

A survey submitted by Allen C. Risk to the Research and Patent Committee on January 8, 1990 on mosses found at the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area in Kentucky during the summer of 1989

Identification Of Kentucky Land Snail Species

Land snails are members of the Phylum Mollusca and the Class Gastropoda. The importance of land snails to their native ecosystems has been greatly underestimated and understudied. For example, land snails play a huge role in the cycling of micronutrients in their ecosystems, they are active in the dispersal of plant seeds and fungal spores, and they have been shown to be bioindicators for vertebrates of conservation concern. They also contribute to the ecosystem by leaving their shells behind when they die, which is then used as a source of calcium carbonate by many species, and used in the formation of limestone. There are approximately 194 native species of snails in Kentucky, not including the 10 introduced species. The purpose of this investigation was to learn the morphology of land snail shells in order to improve identification skills. Important features used to identify land snails include the shell shape, the diameter of the shell, the reflection of the aperture lip, the umbilicus, the teeth associated with the aperture, and the number of whorls. Several local genera such as Punctum, Discus, and Haplotrema have a distinctly wide umbilicus, while genera such as Glyphyalinia, Stenotrema, and Mesodon are considered perforate to imperforate, or without an open umbilicus. The genera Triodopsis, Euchemotrema, Inflectarius, and Xolotrema all have large teeth in the aperture that can be used to identify the species based on the size and position of the teeth. This research was supported by a Morehead State University Undergraduate Research Fellowship.https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/celebration_posters_2021/1005/thumbnail.jp

Catalogue Of Lichen Species In The Rowan County Sphagnum Swamp, Rowan County, Kentucky

Rowan County Sphagnum Swamp is one of the best remaining examples of a bottomland swamp forest left in the Knobs region of Kentucky. Bottomland swamp forests are characterized by soil with a high percentage of organic matter above clay and Devonian shale. This arrangement leads to standing water much of the year and a strongly acidic soil. Common tree species in the Rowan County Sphagnum Swamp include Acer rubrum (red maple), Quercus palustris (pin oak), Liquidambar styraciflua (sweet gum), Nyssa sylvatica (sour gum) and Betula nigra (river birch). Bottomland swamp forests used to be more common, but have dwindled due to land clearing for timber and agriculture. The research project included cataloging the species of lichens found in the Rowan County Sphagnum Swamp through five field trips to the study site. Eighty-five collections were made with samples being deposited in the Morehead State University Herbarium (MDKY). Lichen samples were identified using dissecting and compound microscopes, C (bleach) and K (KOH) chemical tests, and observation under ultraviolet light. Common species of lichens included Buellia erubescens, Lecanora hybocarpa, Punctelia rudecta, and P. missouriensis. Uncommon species included Lecanora thysanophora. This research was supported by a Morehead State University Undergraduate Research Fellowship.https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/celebration_posters_2021/1001/thumbnail.jp

Arboreal and terrestrial lichen species richness in Eagle Lake watershed

https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/student_scholarship_posters/1143/thumbnail.jp

Men across a range of ethnicities have a higher prevalence of diabetes: findings from a cross-sectional study of 500000 UK Biobank participants

Aims: Studies show that white men have a higher prevalence of Type 2 diabetes mellitus than women at a given age and BMI, but equivalent standardized data for other ethnic groups in the UK are sparse. Methods: This cross-sectional study analysed UK Biobank data from 489 079 participants to compare the prevalence of diabetes mellitus across four major ethnic groups including: 471 700 (96.4%) white, 7871 (1.6%) South Asian, 7974 (1.6%) black and 1534 (0.3%) Chinese participants, before and after standardizing for age, socio-economic status (SES), BMI and lifestyle factors including physical activity, TV viewing, fruit and vegetable intake, processed meat, red meat, oily fish, alcohol intake and smoking. A subgroup analysis of South Asians was also undertaken. Results: Crude diabetes prevalence was higher in men across all four ethnicities. After standardizing for age, SES, BMI and lifestyle factors, a significant sex difference in diabetes prevalence persisted in white (men 6.0% vs. women 3.6%), South Asian (21.0% vs. 13.8%) and black individuals (13.3% vs. 9.7%) (P < 0.0001); there was a non-significant difference between Chinese men and women (7.1% vs. 5.5%) (P = 0.211). Sex differences persisted across South Asian subgroups. Conclusions: Men across a range of major ethnic groups including white, South Asian and black, have a higher prevalence of diabetes compared with women of similar age, BMI, SES and lifestyle in the UK

On the diversity and richness of understory bryophytes at Nectandra Cloud Forest Reserve, Costa Rica

A survey of the understory bryophytes in the Nectandra Cloud Forest Preserve yielded 1083 specimens distributed among 55 families, represented by 74 genera of mosses, 75 genera of liverworts and 3 of hornworts. We studied and analyzed the bryophytic distribution on six types of substrates: 1) corticolous, 2) epiphyllous, 3) saxicolous, 4) terricolous, 5) aquatic and 6) lignicolous. The richness and composition of bryophyte genera are compared to those of other previous bryophyte surveys from 4 other sites with different oceanic exposures, climatic and geographic conditions in Costa Rica

Comparison of sociodemographic and health-related characteristics of UK Biobank participants with the general population

UK Biobank is a population-based cohort of 500,000 participants recruited between 2006 and 2010. Approximately 9.2 million individuals aged 40-69 years who lived within 25 miles of the 22 assessment centres in England, Wales and Scotland were invited, and 5.4% participated in the baseline assessment. The representativeness of the UK Biobank cohort was investigated by comparing demographic characteristics between non-responders and responders. Sociodemographic, physical, lifestyle and health-related characteristics of the cohort were compared with nationally representative data sources. UK Biobank participants were more likely to be older, women and to live in less socioeconomically deprived areas than non-participants. Compared with the general population, participants were less likely to be obese, smoke, drink alcohol on a daily basis and had fewer self-reported health outcomes. Rates of all-cause mortality and total cancer incidence (at age 70-74 years) were 46.2% and 11.8% lower in men, and 55.5% and 18.1% lower in women, respectively, than the general population of the same age. UK Biobank is not representative of the sampling population, with evidence of a ‘healthy volunteer’ selection bias. Nonetheless, the valid assessment of exposure-disease relationships may be widely generalizable and does not require participants to be representative of the population at large

The Double Burden of Malnutrition: A Systematic Review of Operational Definitions

Background Despite increasing research on the double burden of malnutrition (DBM; i.e., coexisting over- and undernutrition), there is no global consensus on DBM definitions. Objectives To identify published operational DBM definitions, measure their frequency of use, and discuss implications for future assessment. Methods Following a structured search of peer-reviewed articles with terms describing “overnutrition” [e.g., overweight/obesity (OW/OB)] and “undernutrition” (e.g., stunting, micronutrient deficiency), we screened 1920 abstracts, reviewed 500 full texts, and extracted 623 operational definitions from 239 eligible articles. Results We organized three identified DBM dimensions (level of assessment, target population, and forms of malnutrition) into a framework for building operational DBM definitions. Frequently occurring definitions included coexisting: 1) OW/OB and thinness, wasting, or underweight (n = 289 occurrences); 2) OW/OB and stunting (n = 161); 3) OW/OB and anemia (n = 74); and 4) OW/OB and micronutrient deficiency (n = 73). Conclusions Existing DBM definitions vary widely. Putting structure to possible definitions may facilitate selection of fit-for-purpose indicators to meet public health priorities

Neuroanatomical heterogeneity and homogeneity in individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis

Individuals at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis (CHR-P) demonstrate heterogeneity in clinical profiles and outcome features. However, the extent of neuroanatomical heterogeneity in the CHR-P state is largely undetermined. We aimed to quantify the neuroanatomical heterogeneity in structural magnetic resonance imaging measures of cortical surface area (SA), cortical thickness (CT), subcortical volume (SV), and intracranial volume (ICV) in CHR-P individuals compared with healthy controls (HC), and in relation to subsequent transition to a first episode of psychosis. The ENIGMA CHR-P consortium applied a harmonised analysis to neuroimaging data across 29 international sites, including 1579 CHR-P individuals and 1243 HC, offering the largest pooled CHR-P neuroimaging dataset to date. Regional heterogeneity was indexed with the Variability Ratio (VR) and Coefficient of Variation (CV) ratio applied at the group level. Personalised estimates of heterogeneity of SA, CT and SV brain profiles were indexed with the novel Person-Based Similarity Index (PBSI), with two complementary applications. First, to assess the extent of within-diagnosis similarity or divergence of neuroanatomical profiles between individuals. Second, using a normative modelling approach, to assess the ‘normativeness’ of neuroanatomical profiles in individuals at CHR-P. CHR-P individuals demonstrated no greater regional heterogeneity after applying FDR corrections. However, PBSI scores indicated significantly greater neuroanatomical divergence in global SA, CT and SV profiles in CHR-P individuals compared with HC. Normative PBSI analysis identified 11 CHR-P individuals (0.70%) with marked deviation (>1.5 SD) in SA, 118 (7.47%) in CT and 161 (10.20%) in SV. Psychosis transition was not significantly associated with any measure of heterogeneity. Overall, our examination of neuroanatomical heterogeneity within the CHR-P state indicated greater divergence in neuroanatomical profiles at an individual level, irrespective of psychosis conversion. Further large-scale investigations are required of those who demonstrate marked deviation