The Last Best Place to Die: Physician-Assisted Suicide and Montana\u27s Constitutional Right to Personal Autonomy Privacy

The Last Best Place to Die: Physician-Assisted Suicide and Montana\u27s Constitutional Right to Personal Autonomy Privac

Klipsun Magazine, 1983, Volume 14, Issue 02 - September

https://cedar.wwu.edu/klipsun_magazine/1071/thumbnail.jp

Klipsun Magazine, 1983, Volume 14, Issue 01 - May

https://cedar.wwu.edu/klipsun_magazine/1070/thumbnail.jp

Identification of predation events in wild fish using novel acoustic transmitters

Background: Acoustic telemetry is a commonly used tool to gain knowledge about aquatic animal ecology through the study of their movements. In telemetry studies researchers must make inferences regarding the movements and the fates of tagged animals. Until recently, predation has been inferred in telemetry data using a variety of methods including abrupt changes in movement patterns or habitat use. An acoustic telemetry transmitter has been developed to detect predation events of tagged animals, and while they have performed well in controlled laboratory trials, literature regarding the application of these novel transmitters in field settings is limited. The objective of this research was to describe the detection data obtained from field studies using predation tags and propose methods to incorporate this information in decision-making about the fate of tagged animals. We implanted 60 yellow perch (Perca flavescens) with predation transmitters and evaluated their spatial use in a receiver array (34 ha) using a combination of centres of activity, roaming indices, and step length measures to examine detection data. Results: Over 5 months, 19 apparent predation events were identified by the transmitters. Roaming indices and centres of activity revealed a variety of detection patterns, including instances of altered behaviour before and after predation that matched tag-indentified predation events, dropped tags post-predation, and detections that ceased post-predation indicating the predator might have left the array. Based on the observed patterns, probable predation was inferred for 15 of 19 triggered tags, with unclear fates for four fish. Conclusions: Our study provided a framework to assess the fate of animals tagged with predation transmitters and demonstrate how these tags can contribute to telemetry studies. We showed how detections can be categorized using tag status to compare movement metrics among individuals, provided tools to explore space use surrounding predation events, and synthesized this information to inform uncertainty surrounding tag-identified predation events. Predation tags do not remove all uncertainty about the fate of tagged individuals, but combined with other metrics they increase the likelihood of identifying abnormal movements that could otherwise introduce biased detection histories into studies of small-sized fishes

Hotshot Drain Water Heat Recovery System

Final report and team photo for Project 23 of ME450, Winter 2009 semester.A significant portion of a typical household’s energy bill comes from hot water heating. Among the processes within a home that use hot water, the shower consumes the majority of this energy. The Hotshot aims to reduce the shower’s energy demand by capturing heat from the outgoing grey water and transferring it to the showers incoming cold water stream, thus reducing the demand on the water heater. This will reduce both the cost of using the shower and ultimately reduce a family’s carbon footprint. The system uses a gravity fed plate heat exchanger (PHE) that is typically installed in the basements. Drain water from the shower is run through the heat exchanger and then is diverted back to the home’s primary drain. The system is to be designed and tested with an emphasis on maintenance, cost efficiency, and installation. A product that meets these design requirements with documentation will be attractive to a large number of consumers, and in turn, will create a successful business.Jack Griffith (Infrared Energy Analysis)http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/62482/2/ME450 Winter2009 Team Photo - Project 23 - Water Heat Recovery System.jpghttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/62482/1/ME450 Winter2009 Final Report - Project 23 - Water Heat Recovery System.pd

Predicting live birth, preterm and low birth weight infant after in-vitro fertilisation: a prospective study of 144018 treatment cycles

Background The extent to which baseline couple characteristics affect the probability of live birth and adverse perinatal outcomes after assisted conception is unknown. Methods and Findings We utilised the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority database to examine the predictors of live birth in all in vitro fertilisation (IVF) cycles undertaken in the UK between 2003 and 2007 (n = 144,018). We examined the potential clinical utility of a validated model that pre-dated the introduction of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) as compared to a novel model. For those treatment cycles that resulted in a live singleton birth (n = 24,226), we determined the associates of potential risk factors with preterm birth, low birth weight, and macrosomia. The overall rate of at least one live birth was 23.4 per 100 cycles (95% confidence interval [CI] 23.2–23.7). In multivariable models the odds of at least one live birth decreased with increasing maternal age, increasing duration of infertility, a greater number of previously unsuccessful IVF treatments, use of own oocytes, necessity for a second or third treatment cycle, or if it was not unexplained infertility. The association of own versus donor oocyte with reduced odds of live birth strengthened with increasing age of the mother. A previous IVF live birth increased the odds of future success (OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.46–1.71) more than that of a previous spontaneous live birth (OR 1.19, 95% CI 0.99–1.24); p-value for difference in estimate <0.001. Use of ICSI increased the odds of live birth, and male causes of infertility were associated with reduced odds of live birth only in couples who had not received ICSI. Prediction of live birth was feasible with moderate discrimination and excellent calibration; calibration was markedly improved in the novel compared to the established model. Preterm birth and low birth weight were increased if oocyte donation was required and ICSI was not used. Risk of macrosomia increased with advancing maternal age and a history of previous live births. Infertility due to cervical problems was associated with increased odds of all three outcomes—preterm birth, low birth weight, and macrosomia. Conclusions Pending external validation, our results show that couple- and treatment-specific factors can be used to provide infertile couples with an accurate assessment of whether they have low or high risk of a successful outcome following IVF

Long-term impacts of invasive species on a native top predator in a large lake system

1. Declining abundances of forage fish and the introduction and establishment of non-indigenous species have the potential to substantially alter resource and habitat exploitation by top predators in large lakes. 2. We measured stable isotopes of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) in field-collected and archived samples of Lake Ontario lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) and five species of prey fish and compared current trophic relationships of this top predator with historical samples. 3. Relationships between δ15N and lake trout age were temporally consistent throughout Lake Ontario and confirmed the role of lake trout as a top predator in this food web. However, δ13C values for age classes of lake trout collected in 2008 ranged from 1.0 to 3.9‰ higher than those reported for the population sampled in 1992. 4. Isotope mixing models predicted that these changes in resource assimilation were owing to the replacement of rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) by round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) in lake trout diet and increased reliance on carbon resources derived from nearshore production. This contrasts with the historical situation in Lake Ontario where δ13C values of the lake trout population were dominated by a reliance on offshore carbon production. 5. These results indicate a reduced capacity of the Lake Ontario offshore food web to support the energetic requirements of lake trout and that this top predator has become increasingly reliant on prey resources that are derived from nearshore carbon pathways