Aquatic Barrier Prioritization in New England Under Climate Change Scenarios Using Fish Habitat Quantity, Thermal Habitat Quality, Aquatic Organism Passage, and Infrastructure Sustainability

Improperly designed road-stream crossings can fragment stream networks by restricting or preventing aquatic organism passage. These crossings may also be more vulnerable to high flow events, putting critical human infrastructure at risk. Climate change, which will require access to suitable habitat for species persistence, and is also predicted to increase the frequency and magnitude of extreme floods, underscores the importance of maintaining stream connectivity and resilient infrastructure. Given the large number of road-stream crossings and the expense of replacement, it is increasingly important to prioritize removals and account for the multiple benefits of these management actions. I developed an aquatic barrier prioritization scheme that combines potential habitat gain, stream thermal resilience, aquatic organism passage, and culvert risk of failure. To assess relative thermal resilience, I deployed paired air-water thermographs in several New England watersheds and analyzed relative thermal sensitivity (relationship of water to air temperature) and exposure (duration, frequency, and magnitude of warm stream temperature episodes) among streams. These were combined into a single metric of thermal resilience corresponding with the distance of that stream’s sensitivity and exposure from the watershed median. To test the relationship between risk of failure, culvert dimensions, and stream connectivity, I developed a logistic regression to predict risk of failure using data from two watersheds that experienced extreme flooding from Hurricane Irene (2011). Finally, I applied the resultant prioritization scheme to 66 road-stream crossings in the Westfield River watershed (MA). Thermal habitat quality varied considerably within and among watersheds. Stream sensitivity was generally lower than the widely accepted 0.8 ̊C increase in stream temperature for every 1 ̊C increase in air temperature (Westfield median sensitivity = 0.44), with substantial differences among streams. Exposure also varied widely among streams, indicating that some headwater streams in New England are more thermally resilient than previously thought. Risk of infrastructure failure was predicted with a logistic regression using culvert constriction ratio and predicted aquatic organism passage as predictors (Likelihood ratio test, X2=59.1, df=3, p- value=9.2e-13), indicating that underdesigned culverts were more likely to be barriers to passage and more likely to fail in extreme flow events. To prioritize culverts, this study ultimately used a piecewise approach that identified culverts opening the longest reaches of thermally resilient habitat, and then ranked those culverts by infrastructure replacement need. In the Westfield River, the prioritization clearly identified crossing replacements most likely to yield multiple benefits. The scheme I developed can accommodate changes in the relative weights of the different criteria, which will reflect differences in management and conservation concerns in the confidence of inputs. In conclusion, increasing connectivity by removing barriers may be one of the most effective ways to mitigate the effects of climate change on aquatic systems, but it is important to remove the right barriers

Intra-parenchymal brainstem haemorrhage secondary to iatrogenic needle injury after a parenteral injection in a cat

Case summary A 6-month-old female domestic shorthair cat was presented with acute onset non-ambulatory right hemiparesis and horizontal nystagmus following an injection attempt in the neck, during which the cat did not cooperate. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a well-defined intra-axial lesion on the right side of the myelencephalon. The lesion was T2-weighted hypointense and T1-weighted hypointense to isointense to grey matter, non-contrast enhancing, with perilesional oedema and signal void on T2*-weighted images. A linear hyperintense lesion in the muscles of the right dorsolateral aspect of the neck on short tau inversion recovery images was also observed. These MRI findings were consistent with iatrogenic brainstem haemorrhage and a muscle needle tract. The cat made a good recovery with just mild residual neurological deficits 6 weeks after the injury. Relevance and novel information To our knowledge, this is the first report of an iatrogenic brainstem needle injury in a cat and the first report of a central nervous system iatrogenic trauma after a parenteral injection. Care should be taken with neck parenteral injections, especially in the cranial cervical area

Management of Repeat Breeding Syndrome in Cows

The aims of this study were to identify the status of repeat breeding syndrome (RBS) in a dairy farm, to establish the main cause of RBS and to reduce the number of RBS using the Ovsynch protocol. 20 cows were diagnosed with RBS using computer analysis of the herd and a specific diagnosis for the cause of RBS was attempted. Subsequently, they were divided into 2 groups: cows in group 1 (n=10) received no hormonal treatment while those in group 2 (n=10) were treated using the Ovsynch protocol. Artificial insemination and pregnancy diagnosis was performed in all cows. The 70% pregnancy rate obtained for Ovsynch showed that the hormonal effect as well as correct timing of insemination had a significant influence on RBS, pointing out towards the managerial factor as one of the main causes of RBS. The cow factor was also included, as endometritis, follicular cysts and anovulatory heats were diagnosed

Las TICs en la práctica docente y la gestión en el aula del nivel primaria en las I.E de la RED 02- UGEL 01 San Juan de Miraflores 2013

El presente trabajo de investigación nos permite establecer de qué manera se relaciona Las TICs en la práctica docente y la gestión en el aula del nivel primario en las I.E de la RED 02- UGEL 01, San Juan de Miraflores 2013 y cuyo objetivo general es: Establecer de qué manera se relaciona las TICs en la práctica docente y la gestión en el aula del nivel primaria. Siendo la presente una investigación cuantitativa, del tipo descriptiva correlacional, de diseño no experimental. La población estuvo conformada de 387 alumnos del nivel primario, en la que se destacó específicamente la participación de los alumnos del 6to grado, teniendo una representación censal por el tipo de investigación realizada. Para lo cual hemos empleado procedimientos de correlación Bivariado, Dado que queremos investigar el nivel de asociación entre las variables. Para este análisis respectivo empleamos el programa estadístico SPSS, el mismo que nos da cuenta de los siguientes resultados: El análisis estadístico confirma la existencia de una relación moderada r = 0,452 entre la variables: Las TICs y la gestión de aula, indicándonos que existe una relación positiva y con un nivel de correlación moderada

Le problème du mal dans le Guide des Perplexes et son arrière-plan talmudique

At first sight, the question of evil is regarded in the Guide for the Perplexed in a paradoxical manner. Thus, in Guide I, 2, Maimonides examines the notions of good and evil as subjective evaluations possessing neither the rigour not the exactness of the notions of true and false. However, the question of evil occupies an essential place in the Guide, as various modern authors have shown. This question is important to Maimonides because he is, in this respect, the heir of the rabbinic tradition and his conception of evil is largely based on an interaction with the Talmudic and Midrašic texts. Therefore, we would like to review thirty-nine rabbinic ‘quotes’ which appear in chapters 8 to 24 in the third part of the Guide and deal with the origin of evil, the meaning of suffering and the evil inclination. Maimonides reappropriates the midrašim that are susceptible of being in agreement with his rationalist positions and also quotes some rabbinic traditions that are too close to mu ͑tazilism, undoubtedly aware of the more profound resemblance that exists between the rabbinic and mu ͑tazilite doctrines of evil and retribution.A primera vista, el problema del mal es abordado en la Guía de Perplejos de manera paradójica. Para Maimónides, las nociones de bien y mal son subjetivas y no resultan ni rigorosas ni exactas, a la inversa de las nociones de verdad y falsedad (Guía I, 2). Sin embargo, el problema del mal es muy importante en la Guía, como lo demostraran varios autores. Maimónides es el heredero de la tradición rabínica y existe en la Guía una interacción entre la filosofia de Maimónides y los textos talmúdicos y midrásicos. Es particularmente el caso de las treinta y nueve citas rabínicas de la Guía II, 8-24, que tratan del origen del mal, del significado del sufrimiento y de la inclinación al mal. Maimónides cita los midrašim que concuerdan con sus posiciones racionalistas y evoca también algunas tradiciones rabínicas próximas al mu ͑tazilismo, ciertamente consciente de la profunda semejanza entre las doctrinas rabínicas y mu ͑tazilíes del mal y de la retribución

Effects of a Mediterranean diet on blood pressure: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials and observational studies

Objective: To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis investigating effects of MedDiet on blood pressure in randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and associations of MedDiet with risk of hypertension in observational studies. Methods: PubMed, The Cochrane Library and EBSCOhost were searched from inception until January 2020 for studies that met the following criteria: 1) participants aged ≥18 years, 2) RCTs investigating effects of a MedDiet versus control on BP, 3) Observational studies exploring associations between MedDiet adherence and risk of hypertension. Random-effects meta-analyses were conducted. Meta-regression and subgroup analyses were performed for RCTs to identify potential effect moderators. Results: Nineteen RCTs reporting data on 4137 participants and 16 observational studies reporting data on 59,001 participants were included in the meta-analysis. MedDiet interventions reduced systolic and diastolic BP by a mean -1.4 mmHg (95% CI: -2.40 to -0.39 mmHg, p=0.007, I2=53.5%, Q=44.7, τ2=1.65, df=19) and -1.5 mmHg (95% CI: -2.74 to -0.32 mmHg, p=0.013, I2=71.5%, Q=51.6, τ2=4.72, df=19) versus control, respectively. Meta-regression revealed that longer study duration and higher baseline systolic BP was associated with a greater decrease in BP, in response to a MedDiet (p<0.05). In observational studies, odds of developing hypertension were 13% lower with higher versus lower MedDiet adherence (95% CI: 0.78 to 0.98, p=0.017, I2=69.6%, Q=41.1, τ2=0.03, df=17). Conclusions: Data suggest that MedDiet is an effective dietary strategy to aid BP control, which may contribute towards the lower risk of CVD reported with this dietary pattern. This study was registered with PROSPERO: CRD42019125073. KEY WORDS: Mediterranean diet, blood pressure, hypertension, cardiovascular diseas