Flow alteration-ecology relationships in Ozark Highland streams: Consequences for fish, crayfish and macroinvertebrate assemblages

We examined flowalteration-ecology relationships in benthic macroinvertebrate, fish, and crayfish assemblages in Ozark Highland streams, USA, over two years with contrasting environmental conditions, a drought year (2012) and a flood year (2013). We hypothesized that: 1) there would be temporal variation in flow alteration-ecology relationships between the two years, 2) flow alteration-ecology relationshipswould be stronger during the drought year vs the flood year, and 3) fish assemblages would show the strongest relationships with flow alteration. We used a quantitative richest-targeted habitat (RTH) method and a qualitative multihabitat (QMH) method to collect macroinvertebrates at 16 USGS gaged sites during both years. We used backpack electrofishing to sample fish and crayfish at 17 sites in 2012 and 11 sites in 2013.Weused redundancy analysis to relate biological response metrics, including richness, diversity, density, and community-based metrics, to flow alteration.We found temporal variation in flow alteration-ecology relationships for all taxa, and that relationships differed greatly between assemblages. We found relationships were stronger for macroinvertebrates during the drought year but not for other assemblages, and that fish assemblage relationships were not stronger than the invertebrate taxa. Magnitude of average flow, frequency of high flow, magnitude of high flow, and duration of high flow were the most important categories of flow alteration metrics across taxa. Alteration of high and average flows was more important than alteration of low flows. Of 32 important flow alteration metrics across years and assemblages, 19 were significantly altered relative to expected values. Ecological responses differed substantially between drought and flood years, and this is likely to be exacerbated with predicted climate change scenarios. Differences in flow alteration-ecology relationships among taxonomic groups and temporal variation in relationships illustrate that a complex suite of variables should be considered for effective conservation of stream communities related to flow alteration

The Integration of Firm Resources: The Role of Capabilities in Strategy and Firm Performance

Distinctive capabilities are defined as a firm’s accumulated skills and knowledge that may lead to competitive advantage (Day 1994). Distinctive capabilities are founded upon Resource-Based Theory (Barney 1991) that focuses on internal resources as opposed to external market forces (Porter 1980). The present research discusses the integration of distinctive capabilities into this framework; that is, do certain distinctive capabilities (resources) create superior firm performance when linked to the appropriate generic business strategy? The literature on firm performance has a rich history and is theoretically grounded in several disciplines including economics, sociology, and organizational behavior (Anderson 1982). However, there has not been much empirical support for any specific theory. That is, authors have not been successful in explaining why certain firms perform well while others do not. Several authors have attempted to link strategy to performance (Miller 1986; Dess and Davis 1984; Miles and Snow 1978; Porter 1980), but with varying levels of success. More recently, authors have attempted to tie firm performance to resources (Barney 1991; Hall 1993) and/or capabilities (Day 1994; Droge et al. 1994; Hitt and Ireland 1986), but here, too, there has not been convincing empirical support. The objectives of this dissertation are to examine whether superior firm performance is achieved when resources/capabilities are properly matched with market strategy (what one might call—fit) and to ascertain which capabilities should be linked to which strategy. Strategy, for the purpose of this study, will be those strategic choices that were defined by Porter (1980). He hypothesized that firms may pursue two different generic business strategies in order to achieve superior firm performance, i.e., cost leadership or differentiation. These strategic alternatives will form the basis of our strategy construct for this thesis. Since capabilities (firm resources) reside mostly at the functional level of the organization, that is where this dissertation will begin. There are many resources and/or capabilities that firms rely on to pursue their objectives. Some of these are related to specific functions such as finance, operations, logistics, or marketing. However, there has been very little research that has identified and measured the resources/capabilities of specific functional areas. One of the few areas in which studies have been conducted and for which scales have been developed is the logistics function (Global Logistics Research Team at Michigan State University 1995; Eckert and Fawcett 1996; Morash et al. 1996; Clinton and Closs 1997). Logistics expenses may represent as much as twenty percent of the total cost in many industries (Coyle, Bardi, and Langley 1996; Lambert and Stock 1993). Accordingly, this study builds upon that prior knowledge in an effort to gain a better understanding of how capabilities, strategy, and performance are related

Annual Survey of Virginia Law: Workers\u27 Compensation

This article addresses the most significant developments in the law of workers\u27 compensation since September 1997. The areas discussed consist of the following: (1) injury by accident claims; (2) occupational disease claims; (3) benefits and coverage under the Workers\u27 Compensation Act; (4) panels of physicians; and (5) 1998 legislative changes affecting workers\u27 compensation. Emphasis has been placed on the most important developments in this area of law with respect to decisions of the Supreme Court of Virginia and the Virginia Court of Appeals, as well as new legislation

Does Ivabradine Improve Quality of Life in Cardiovascular Disease Patients?

Objective: The objective of this review is to determine whether ivabradine therapy can improve the quality of life in cardiovascular disease patients. Study Design: The studies included in this review are one randomized control study and two double blind randomized control studies from 2008, 2010, and 2012. Data Source: The three studies in this review were obtained by performing a PubMed search using the keywords “ivabradine” and random control trial.” All articles were published in English and in peer-reviewed journals. Outcomes Measured: The three studies ascertained whether there was a decrease in hospitalization events within coronary artery disease and heart failure patients, if there was a subjective increase in the quality of life in heart failure patients, and whether there was an improvement in NYHA heart failure classification after ivabradine treatment. Results: Patients with a resting heart rate of 70 beats per minute or greater who were treated with ivabradine demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in hospital admissions for myocardial infarctions (HR=0.64; 95% CI 0.49–0.84; p=0.001). This is a 36% reduction in myocardial infarctions. Heart failure patients treated with ivabradine were found to have a significantly lower risk of suffering a hospitalization event for worsening heart failure than the placebo group (HR=0.75; 95% CI 0.65-0.87; p Conclusions: Based on the systematic reviews of the three randomized controlled trials, one can conclusively say that Corlanor (ivabradine) can improve the quality of life in cardiovascular disease patients. All three studies demonstrated statistically significant changes compared to control/placebo groups. These studies also demonstrate that ivabradine is efficacious and is well tolerated in terms of being safe for human use

Annual Survey of Virginia Law: Workers\u27 Compensation

This article addresses recent developments in the law ofworkers\u27 compensation, as reflected in decisions of the Supreme Court of Virginia and the Virginia Court of Appeals, and through new legislation. Areas discussed include (1) injury by accident claims; (2) occupational disease claims; (3) benefits and coverage under the Workers\u27 Compensation Act; and (4) 1999 legislative changes affecting workers\u27 compensation

Annual Survey of Virginia Law: Workers\u27 Compensation

There have been significant developments in the law of workers\u27 compensation since 1995, when the Annual Survey of Virginia Law last included this topic. The past two years have seen many changes in Virginia workers\u27 compensation through legislation by the General Assembly and by Virginia appellate court decisions. This article focuses on some of the most significant developments with respect to (I) occupational disease claims, (II) injury by accident claims, (III) benefits and coverage under the Workers\u27 Compensation Act, (IV) third party claims, (V) the termination of wage benefits, and (VI) new legislation affecting workers\u27 compensation

The value of a diagnostic study as a limited service.

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston Universit