Representational Analyses of Conservation Lands in Maine

The three studies reported here (i.e., statewide, southern Maine, and state and federal wildlife areas) identify what areas should be conserved to represent the natural diversity of Maine. Geographic Information System (GIs) technology was used to conduct the analyses comparing the distribution of abiotic and biotic variables representing natural diversity on and off conservation lands. In the statewide analysis, 10 environmental variables were compared on and off conservation lands using ArcGrid with a cell resolution of 1.86 x 1.86 km. The areas found to contain variables that were underrepresented were. combined to identify and map regions with under-represented characteristics. The mean number of under-represented variables for each major biophysical region in Maine was calculated with southern Maine being in greatest need of more conservation lands. The highest degree of under-representation was in low elevation areas and lower portions of large river valleys. When abiotic variables, which are more permanent to the landscape, were weighted higher than biotic, the same results as above were found. To determine locations of potential new conservation lands in southern Maine, I analyzed the representation of seven environmental variables on conservation lands in southern Maine with a cell resolution of 94.6 x 94.6 m. Only four variables were substantially under-represented including 401 - 450 m elevation, 4 - 7 degrees of slope, shoreline and mudflats, and early successional and crop cover types. The distance from these highly under-represented areas to areas with high road density was measured and mapped as an indicator of their vulnerability to development. The contribution of Wildlife Management Areas (WMA\u27s) and National Wildlife Refuges (NWR\u27s) were analyzed to evaluate their contribution to the conservation of Maine\u27s wildlife and natural diversity. Earlier management objectives for these agencies focused on acquisition of game (e.g., waterfowl) and endangered species habitats. Management emphasis has broadened recently to include conservation of ecosystems and all wildlife species, therefore, it is important to assess whether NWR\u27s and WMA\u27s accomplish these new, broader goals. Geographic datasets including topography, vegetation cover, and terrestrial vertebrate richness were compared on and off WMA\u27s and NWR\u27s using ArcGrid with a cell resolution of 94.6 x 94.6 m for each major biophysical region in Maine. Out of 270 terrestrial vertebrate species predicted to occur in Maine, 219 were predicted to occur on WMA\u27s and 223 on NWR\u27s. Wetland and open water vertebrate species, wetland vegetation types, and low elevation areas were over-represented in the state, while most upland vegetation types were under-represented by WMA\u27s and NWR\u27s. These results suggest that WMA\u27s and NWR\u27s should acquire additional mid-elevation and upland areas, assuming a goal of land conservation that is representative of the state\u27s natural diversity

The Influence of Treatment Team Cohesion in the Success of In-home Mental Health Treatment for Children and Adolescents with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

Background: The author pursued this area of interest due to having had a positive experience working as a therapist within a high cohesion treatment team in an in-home setting. This experience with a high cohesion team seemed to lead to more successful results than other teams that were deemed low cohesion, in the same format. This experience led to a general curiosity about why the team this author was on was more effective. Additional research allowed this author to determine the possible link between cohesion, success of treatment and reduced risk for burnout, defined as a response to chronic job related stressors (Maslach, 2003). This possible link paved the way for this research to be accomplished. The purpose of this study was to determine if treatment team cohesion is a factor in determining the success of in-home treatment for children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral diagnoses. The link between cohesion and treatment team success has not been specifically researched; however, cohesion has been related to the success of teams in various sports. It was hypothesized that a high cohesion treatment team would result in more successful in-home treatment than a low cohesion treatment team. Methods: A closed record review was completed on 26 participants, with 13 participants in each treatment team. The participants were assigned to a specific team by the Clinical Director of the family preservation services provider based upon the caseload of the clinicians at the time of assignment. The same licensed therapist completed the Work Environment Scale (WES) to determine which team had the higher level of cohesion. Demographic variables of gender, ethnicity, duration of treatment, and medication status were used, along with the CAFAS and GAF scores in two hierarchical linear regression analyses. Two hierarchical linear regressions were performed using SPSS. The first regression utilized the cohesion measure, demographic variables (gender, ethnicity, duration of treatment and medication status), and the initial Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) score as independent variables (IVs) to determine the likelihood of prediction of the final GAF score, both individually and combined as a group. The second regression provided the cohesion measure, demographic variables (as listed above) and the initial Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale (CAFAS) score as IVs to determine the likelihood of prediction of the final CAFAS score, both individually and combined as a group. Results: Hierarchical regression analyses did not support the hypothesis; however, the statistical power of the sample size was too low to determine if significant results actually existed. Due to the restraints of managed care, inclusionary and exclusionary restrictions for this particular research and the significant decrease of funding for in-home treatment programs the participants that were appropriate for the purposes of this research unexpectedly resulted in a limited sample size. Conclusions: Results implicated a relationship between the CAFAS scores and the racial background of the participants. While this relationship is unclear the majority of the participants were African American and the clinician completing the CAFAS was Caucasian. Limitations of the study indicate additional research with a larger sample size would be beneficial to determine if there is a relationship between the cohesion of the treatment team and the success of in-home therapy

Thermal analysis in a triple-layered skin structure with embedded vasculature, tumor, and gold nanoshells

In hyperthermia skin cancer treatment, the objective is to control laser heating of the tumor (target temperatures of 42-46 °C) so that the temperatures of the normal tissue surrounding the tumor remains low enough not to damage the normal tissue. However, obtaining accurate temperature distributions in living tissue related to hyperthermia skin cancer treatment without using an intruding sensor is a challenge. The objective of this dissertation research is to develop a mathematical model that can accurately predict the temperature distribution in the tumor region and surrounding normal tissue induced by laser irradiation. The model is based on a modified Pennes\u27 equation for the bioheat transfer in a 3-D triple-layered skin structure embedded with a vascular countercurrent network and a tumor appearing in the subcutaneous region. The vascular network is designed based on the constructal theory of multi-scale tree-shaped heat exchangers. The tumor is injected with gold nanoshells in order to be heated quickly. The proposed model is implemented numerically using a stable finite-difference scheme. To determine the laser intensity so that an optimal temperature distribution can be obtained, we pre-specify the temperature elevations to be obtained at the center of the tumor and on some locations on the perimeter of the skin\u27s surface. Using the least squares method, we obtain the optimal laser power and develop a computational procedure to obtain the temperature distribution. The method was tested in a 3-D triple-layered skin structure embedded with a vascular countercurrent network and a tumor appearing in the subcutaneous region. Gold nanoshells are assumed to have been injected into the central region of the tumor. The tumor region that has the gold nanoshells has ? x 109 particles/cm3 for each voxel of 0.01 cm x 0.01 cm x 0.001 cm. The tempeature is elevated by means of laser irradiation. The results show that the nanoshells have an effect on the tumor by heating the entire tumor to above 42 °C while not overheating the surrounding tissue. In comparison, results show that without nanoshells in the tumor region the tumor does heat up along its central axis; however, the perimeter of the tumor fails to reach 42 °C while the top of the skin reaches undesirable temperature levels due to the laser intensity required to heat the tumor. Such research may provide a useful tool for optimizing laser irradiation to kill the tumor while keeping the damage to the surrounding healthy tissue to a minimum (≤ 42 °C) during the hyperthermia cancer treatment

Report of the Legislative Committee

Col. Orndorff supplemented the report of the Legislative Committee published in the Washington State Bar News, Vol. IX, p. 30, by emphasizing the need for legislation easing the work load on the Supreme Court and correcting inequities in the distribution of work among the judges of the Superior Courts of the state. Col. Orndorff also pointed out that legislation modernizing the justice courts of the state consistent with the State Constitution is of primary importance

Development of an Atmospheric Fluidized Bed Combustor (AFBC)

The relatively recent interest in the U.S. in the development of atmospheric fluidized bed combustion (AFBC) has been preceded by two main factors. First of these is the ever present problem of acid rain and growing public support for cleaner burning fossil fuels. Second is the increasing demand on public landfills and subsequent need for burning of municipal solid waste. From these factors and their corresponding influences, Western Kentucky University has the impetus and has received the financial assistance necessary to build and develop a laboratory scale AFBC system. A brief history of the events leading to this development, as well as selected results from the last 12 months of this project are discussed

A Combined Molecular Dynamics, Rigidity Analysis Approach for Studying Protein Complexes

Proteins form complexes when they bind to other molecules, which is often accompanied by a conformation change in one or both interacting partners. Details of how a compound associates with a target protein can be used to better design medicines that therapeutically regulate disease-causing proteins. Experimental and computational techniques for studying the binding process are available, however many of them are time and money intensive, or are computationally expensive, and hence cannot be done on a large data-set. In this work, we present a hybrid, computationally efficient approach for studying the stability of protein complex. We use short Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations to generate a small ensemble of protein-complex conformations, whose flexibility we then analyze using an efficient graph-theoretic method implemented in the KINARI software. For our data-set of proteins, we show that our combined MD-rigidity analysis approach provides information about the stability of the protein-complex that would not be attained by either of the two methods alone

The Tradition of Qoheleth: A Study of the Background to the Book of Ecclesiastes

The book of Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes) is perhaps the most intriguing book in the Old Testament. Readers of every age can appreciate its theme, dealing with the futility of seeking to uncover life’s mystery. Yet Qoheleth has been interpreted in many different ways. The interpretations have ranged from tragic pessimism to a triumph of piety over skepticism. It is the contention of this thesis that a proper perspective on Qoheleth’s intention can best be gained in terms of the author’s use of tradition. Qoheleth displays an awareness of such Hebrew traditions as Wisdom, the Pentateuch, Israelite history and the prophets. Though Qoheleth does not refer specifically to the Law or to Yahweh, the God of Israel, he does not deny them. Moreover, he seems familiar with both the Pentateuch (e.g. the creation account) and the historical writings in the prophets (e.g. the account of Solomon). Qoheleth is also consistent with Old Testament theology in holding that God’s ways cannot be comprehended by man, and that it is good for man to enjoy the life that God has given him. It is also likely that Qoheleth was familiar with the traditions of Greece and the Near East. There are many parallels between Qoheleth and these cultures, but all that these seem to represent is parallel development. For Qoheleth does not reveal any dependence on the traditions of these cultures. Rather Qoheleth differs sharply in that he refutes both the Hellenistic belief in an after life (3:21) and the tragic pessimism of Ancient Near Eastern documents. When Qoheleth is understood in terms of the author’s use of tradition, this book is found to be true to Hebrew tradition. In this way readers are afforded a proper perspective as to how Qoheleth is best interpreted. The book is found to be practical, advising the reader to enjoy life rather than despair of it

Geological Controls in the Development of Caves in the South-Central Ozarks of Missouri, USA

Področje Ozarkov v Missouriju je eden največjih kraških terenov v ZDA. Prevladujočo litologijo predstavljajo kambrijski in ordovicijski dolomiti in peščenjaki. Številne, večinoma horizontalne jame in veliki kraški izviri so značilnosti krasa Ozarkov. Od oktobra 1996 do vključno maja 1999 smo obiskali 23 kraških jam, za 18 jam v osrednjem delu južnih Ozarkov smo naredili geološke karte. Za ta članek smo predstavili geologijo štirih jam. Prevladujoča geološka zakonitost, ki vpliva na oblikovanje jam je vpad plasti in preferenčna plast stromatolitnega dolomita. Edina možna povezava med geološko strukturo in smerjo jamskih rovov je smer rovov sever-jug in smer razpok sever-jug.The Ozark Plateaus Province of Missouri is one of the largest karst areas in the USA. The dominant lithology is Cambrian and Ordovician dolomite and sandstone. Numerous, mostly horizontal caves and large springs are characteristic of Ozark karst. From October 1996 through May 1999, 23 caves were visited and geologic maps were made for 18 caves in the Ozarks of south-central Missouri. For this paper, the geology of four of the caves is discussed. The prevailing geologic control on cave development is bedding plane dip and preferred strata-a stromatolitic dolomite bed. The only recognized relationship between geologic structure and cave passage trends is the correlation of a N-S trend of cave passages to a general N-S trend in joints