Jobs, natural resources, and community resilience: A survey of southeast Alaskans about social and environmental change

As part of the Community and Environment in Rural America (CERA) project, researchers at the Carsey Institute surveyed 1,541 residents of the ten boroughs and unincorporated census areas in Southeast Alaska to better understand social and environmental change in the region and their implications for Alaskan community and families. The authors of this brief report that social problems in the extremely isolated region of Southeast Alaska such as crime and drug use are closely related to economic distress, particularly in small outlying communities

Micro-PIV of Self-Propelling Bi-Slugs in a Micro Channel

Bi-slugs are fluid entities involving two dissimilar fluids that move “on their own” due to differences in surface tension. At the micro-fluidic scale this sort of motion may be useful to efficiently transport small quantities of fluid from place to place. This study uses Micro-Particle Image Velocimetry (µ-PIV) techniques to investigate self propelling bi-slug flows. The bi-slugs examined are made of ethylene glycol and Xiameter PMX-200 Silicone Fluid (5cst and 10cst) and placed in a glass micro-channel of approximately 1mm diameter. The Reynolds number (Re) range considered (based on ethylene glycol in the slug) is 2.54 - 1.07 and the capillary number (Ca) range is 1.23x10-3 - 5.18x10-4. In particular, we are interested in the flow field in the region near the interfacial meniscus, and the shear forces along the micro-channel. Quantitative velocity field images and streamline images of the silicon fluid in motion are shown. To the best of the author’s knowledge these µ-PIV measurements are the first such measurements made in self propelling bi-slugs. In addition to the velocity field results, methods for creating self propelling bi-slugs, and issues related to the challenges of achieving adequate seeding of the ethylene glycol and silicone fluid with dyed micro-spheres will be presented

Beliefs about development versus environmental tradeoffs in the Puget Sound region

Using data from a phone survey of 1,980 Puget Sound residents conducted in 2012, this fact sheet outlines residents’ views about the importance of environmental protection as well as their opinions about energy development, protection of wild salmon, and land use regulation. Seventy-four percent of Puget Sound residents believe that protecting the environment should be a priority even if it means limiting economic growth. The majority of residents favor both increased use of renewable energy (82 percent) and protecting wild salmon (75 percent). Residents are more divided about curbing development, with those from rural areas being more apt to prioritize protecting private property rights over regulating land use. Read more about Communities and Coastal Restoration in the Puget Sound Region

Urban-rural differences in concern about the environment and jobs in the Puget Sound region

Using data from a phone survey of 1,980 Puget Sound residents conducted in 2012, this fact sheet examines the severity of different environmental problems and compares the strength of concern about the lack of jobs and beliefs about the environment. Too few jobs and the loss of wildlife habitat were the two community issues most likely to be ranked as important problems among residents of Puget Sound. Environmental concern is higher among urban than rural residents, while those in rural areas are more likely than urbanites to believe the lack of jobs is a threat to their community. Read more about Communities and Coastal Restoration in the Puget Sound Region

Public perceptions of environmental management in the Puget Sound region

Using data from a phone survey of 1,980 Puget Sound residents conducted in 2012, this fact sheet describes public perceptions of different environmental interventions. Puget Sound residents widely support a range of proposed interventions designed to protect and restore the marine environment. These proposals include restricting boating and shipping activities to protect marine mammals such as killer whales and sea lions; more strongly enforcing existing environmental rules and regulations; spending government money to restore the environment for fish and wildlife; and providing tax credits to businesses that voluntarily reduce their environmental impact. Residents are divided about whether existing environmental regulations have benefited their community. Read more about Communities and Coastal Restoration in the Puget Sound Region

Multiple uncontrolled conditions and blood pressure medication intensification: an observational study

Abstract Background Multiple uncontrolled medical conditions may act as competing demands for clinical decision making. We hypothesized that multiple uncontrolled cardiovascular risk factors would decrease blood pressure (BP) medication intensification among uncontrolled hypertensive patients. Methods We observed 946 encounters at two VA primary care clinics from May through August 2006. After each encounter, clinicians recorded BP medication intensification (BP medication was added or titrated). Demographic, clinical, and laboratory information were collected from the medical record. We examined BP medication intensification by presence and control of diabetes and/or hyperlipidemia. 'Uncontrolled' was defined as hemoglobin A1c ≥ for diabetes, BP ≥ 140/90 mmHg (≥ 130/80 mmHg if diabetes present) for hypertension, and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) ≥ 130 mg/dl (≥ 100 mg/dl if diabetes present) for hyperlipidemia. Hierarchical regression models accounted for patient clustering and adjusted medication intensification for age, systolic BP, and number of medications. Results Among 387 patients with uncontrolled hypertension, 51.4% had diabetes (25.3% were uncontrolled) and 73.4% had hyperlipidemia (22.7% were uncontrolled). The BP medication intensification rate was 34.9% overall, but higher in individuals with uncontrolled diabetes and uncontrolled hyperlipidemia: 52.8% overall and 70.6% if systolic BP ≥ 10 mmHg above goal. Intensification rates were lowest if diabetes or hyperlipidemia were controlled, lower than if diabetes or hyperlipidemia were not present. Multivariable adjustment yielded similar results. Conclusions The presence of uncontrolled diabetes and hyperlipidemia was associated with more guideline-concordant hypertension care, particularly if BP was far from goal. Efforts to understand and improve BP medication intensification in patients with controlled diabetes and/or hyperlipidemia are warranted.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78266/1/1748-5908-5-55.xmlhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78266/2/1748-5908-5-55.pdfPeer Reviewe

Association of Marijuana Legalization with Marijuana Use among US High School Students, 1993-2019

Dr Anderson acknowledges partial support from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (research infrastructure grant No. R24 HD042828), to the Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology at the University of Washington. Dr Sabia and Mr Safford acknowledge partial support from the Center for Health Economics & Policy Studies at San Diego State University, including grant funding received from the Charles Koch Foundation

Blood Pressure and Cognitive Decline Over 8 Years in Middle-Aged and Older Black and White Americans

Although the association between high blood pressure (BP), particularly in midlife, and late-life dementia is known, less is known about variations by race and sex. In a prospective national study of 22 164 blacks and whites ≥45 years without baseline cognitive impairment or stroke from the REGARDS cohort study (Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke), enrolled 2003 to 2007 and followed through September 2015, we measured changes in cognition associated with baseline systolic and diastolic BP (SBP and DBP), as well as pulse pressure (PP) and mean arterial pressure, and we tested whether age, race, and sex modified the effects. Outcomes were global cognition (Six-Item Screener; primary outcome), new learning (Word List Learning), verbal memory (Word List Delayed Recall), and executive function (Animal Fluency Test). Median follow-up was 8.1 years. Significantly faster declines in global cognition were associated with higher SBP, lower DBP, and higher PP with increasing age ( P<0.001 for age×SBP×follow-up-time, age×DBP×follow-up-time, and age×PP×follow-up-time interaction). Declines in global cognition were not associated with mean arterial pressure after adjusting for PP. Blacks, compared with whites, had faster declines in global cognition associated with SBP ( P=0.02) and mean arterial pressure ( P=0.04). Men, compared with women, had faster declines in new learning associated with SBP ( P=0.04). BP was not associated with decline of verbal memory and executive function, after controlling for the effect of age on cognitive trajectories. Significantly faster declines in global cognition over 8 years were associated with higher SBP, lower DBP, and higher PP with increasing age. SBP-related cognitive declines were greater in blacks and men

The species diversity&nbsp;×&nbsp;fire severity relationship is hump-shaped in semiarid yellow pine and mixed conifer forests

The combination of direct human influences and the effects of climate change are resulting in altered ecological disturbance regimes, and this is especially the case for wildfires. Many regions that historically experienced low–moderate severity fire regimes are seeing increased area burned at high severity as a result of interactions between high fuel loads and climate warming with a number of negative ecological effects. While ecosystem impacts of altered fire regimes have been examined in the literature, little is known of the effects of changing fire regimes on forest understory plant diversity even though understory taxa comprise the vast majority of forest plant species and play vital roles in overall ecosystem function. We examined understory plant diversity across gradients of wildfire severity in eight large wildfires in yellow pine and mixed conifer temperate forests of the Sierra Nevada, California, USA. We found a generally unimodal hump-shaped relationship between local (alpha) plant diversity and fire severity. High-severity burning resulted in lower local diversity as well as some homogenization of the flora at the regional scale. Fire severity class, post-fire litter cover, and annual precipitation were the best predictors of understory species diversity. Our research suggests that increases in fire severity in systems historically characterized by low and moderate severity fire may lead to plant diversity losses. These findings indicate that global patterns of increasing fire size and severity may have important implications for biodiversity

National variation in United States sepsis mortality: a descriptive study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The regional distribution of a disease may provide important insights regarding its pathophysiology, risk factors and clinical care. While sepsis is a prominent cause of death in the United States (US), few studies have examined regional variations with this malady. We identified the national variation in sepsis deaths in the US. We conducted a descriptive analysis of 1999-2005 national vital statistics data from the National Center for Health Statistics summarized at the state-level. We defined sepsis deaths as deaths attributed to an infection, classified according to the International Classification of Diseases, Version 10. We calculated national and state age-adjusted sepsis-attributed mortality rates.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>National age-adjusted sepsis mortality was 65.5 per 100,000 persons (95% CI: 65.8 - 66.0). State level sepsis mortality varied more than two-fold (range 41 to 88.6 per 100,000 persons; median 60.8 per 100,000, IQR 53.9-74.4 per 100,000). A cluster extending from the Southeastern to the mid-Atlantic US encompassed states with the highest sepsis mortality.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Sepsis mortality varies across the US. The states with highest sepsis mortality form a contiguous cluster in the Southeastern and mid-Atlantic US. These observations highlight unanswered questions regarding the characteristics and care of sepsis.</p