Spatial and Temporal Changes in Tree Islands of the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in Response to Altered Hydrologies

Loxahatchee can be grouped into three zones according to the patterns of change of tree islands observed from 1950 to 1991. 1 ) the edge of the refuge adjacent to the canals, 2) the eastern interior of the refuge, and 3) the western interior of the refuge. The general trend is for tree islands Along the edge of the refuge to have decreased in size, number, and percent cover, while those on the interior increased in size, nunber, and percent cover. Results from this study illustrate the importance of flow magnitude as well as hydroperiod and depth in stucturing patterns of tree islands within this peat wetland. Restoration of historic hydroperiods and depths without historic flow patterns may not be sufficient to restore or maintain the historic pattern and function of the system. (60 pages

Exploring the potential of oxidative stress-related biomarkers of ageing in a population-based study of the very old

Phd ThesisThere are considerable differences in the timing, type and extent of age-related decline between individuals who share the same chronological age, which may be driven by a combination of genetic, stochastic and environmental factors. Biomarkers of ageing (BoA) that can discriminate between individuals who differ in their biological age will therefore be useful to understand biological mechanisms, develop and test interventions and allow the prediction of age-related events so interventions can be implemented. In recent years, a variety of mechanistic candidate BoA have been discovered on the basis of a greatly improved understanding of the cellular and molecular biology of ageing. These include various measures of oxidative stress, which is thought to contribute causally to the ageing of organisms via its acceleration of cellular senescence. However, their reliability and validity as BoA, especially within population based cohorts are scarce. This study therefore focused on various oxidative stress-related measures as candidate BoA including: reactive oxygen species (ROS) production from dysfunctional mitochondria, by measuring superoxide levels, mitochondrial mass and mitochondrial membrane potential in blood mononuclear cells by flow cytometry; and also markers of lipid peroxidation, F2-isoprostanes, by measuring 8-iso Prostaglandin F2 by Automated Dissociation Enhanced Lanthanide Fluorescence Immunoassay (AutoDELFIA). Despite providing evidence of experimental reliability for all measures and also some evidence of construct validity for ROS production from dysfunctional mitochondria in terms of: associations with chronological age, associations with some markers of oxidative stressinduced cellular senescence, validation in a dietary restricted animal model of ageing and a role in an immunosenescent phenotype; there was no evidence of predictive validity in terms of longevity or age-related health outcomes in a population based cohort of the very old, the Newcastle 85+ study. This questions the predictive validity of these parameters as candidate BoA in the very old population.BBSRC and partially funded by Unileve

Management of frequent ED users by community paramedics improves patient experiences and reduces EMS utilization

This study examined a suburban emergency medical system (EMS)-led community paramedicine (CP) program in terms of adherence to protocol, patient-paramedic interactions, patient experience, and cost. Participants (n=57) are frequent emergency department (ED) users (≥ 4 ED visits/year), with a mean age of 59.8±17.6 years and have multiple chronic conditions. Of these, 36 completed a modified Clinician and Group Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CG-CAHPS) survey at 3- and 6-months following program enrollment. The main outcome measures were adherence to intake goals; types, modes, and frequencies of CP interventions; CG-CAHPS patient experience scores; and cost savings. Cost savings compared EMS transports, ED visits, and hospital admissions during CP enrollment versus the previous year. Analysis also correlated participant demographics with the type and frequency of interventions. Adherence to enrollee intake protocols range from 5.3% for medication reconciliation to 78.9% for assessments of daily living (ADL) and home safety. The most popular interventions were follow-up and wellness checks occurring primarily in patients’ homes, and 97% of participants would recommend the program to friends/relatives. Females and African-Americans had increased CP interventions (p \u3c.0001). Mean post-program 911 calls decreased significantly from pre-program levels, from 14.1 to 7.8 (p = .0012), as did ED transports (10.1 to 5.6, p = .002), and non-ED transports (4 to 2.2, p = .0380). The estimated annual return on investment (ROI) is \u3e51%. This study objectively illustrates program success, showing that carefully designed and managed CP programs can deliver Triple Aim objectives. Experience Framework This article is associated with the Innovation & Technology lens of The Beryl Institute Experience Framework. (http://bit.ly/ExperienceFramework) Access other PXJ articles related to this lens. Access other resources related to this len

Community Building in a Virtual Teaching Environment

In 2010, the University of Southern California School of Social Work launched its Virtual Academic Center (VAC) to deliver online MSW programming to students located around the country. USC’s platform is a significant innovation in offering online education and has transformed the traditional educational model for both students and faculty. This research explores the experiences of faculty teaching via the VAC. Twenty-five in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with USC faculty of different ranks. Inductive data collection using a grounded theory approach with thematic analysis examined experiences teaching in an online program, revealing the strengths and challenges associated with geographic diversity and community-building. Findings warrant the development of innovative practices to build community and to facilitate collaboration among geographically diverse faculty and students in a virtual education program

The TRPV1 receptor is associated with preferential stress in large dorsal root ganglion neurons in early diabetic sensory neuropathy

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/65841/1/j.1471-4159.2008.05220.x.pd

Perceptions of Assessment Processes, Enhanced Competency Integration, and Practice Preparation Among Future Education Model Graduate Program Alumni

Background: Competency-based assessment (CBE) focuses on applying knowledge and skills to progress from novice to expert in clinical areas. The Future Education Model Graduate Program (FEMGP) incorporates CBE to meet enhanced competencies for nutrition and dietetics. Objective: This study explored FEMGP graduates’ perceptions of assessment methods and practices and perceptions of enhanced competency (EC) integration and preparedness for entry-level practice. Methods: This was a basic descriptive qualitative study. Ninety-eight graduates from one FEMGP in the northeastern US were recruited via email to participate in one of 13 virtual focus groups from April-June of 2023. Directed content analysis was conducted with NVivo (version 14.0). Results: Seventeen graduates participated (15 female, 2 male). Barriers to weekly formative assessment practices included: difficulty interpreting the ECs, and time-consuming assessments. The weekly formative assessments were perceived as helpful and identified areas that needed improvement or skills to focus on for the next week. Participants felt they integrated informatics and nutrition intervention ECs into entry-level practice, but were not as confident about meeting the management, leadership, or pharmacology ECs. Conclusions: Graduates of this FEMGP felt prepared for entry-level practice and noted that the formative and summative assessments were helpful. Future student assessment processes may benefit from changes such as less frequent assessments, more in-depth training for preceptors on the EC interpretation, and the importance of providing effective feedback to students with an experiential learning component

Contact with caregivers is associated with composition of the infant gastrointestinal microbiome in the first 6 months of life.

OBJECTIVES: Little is known about how physical contact at birth and early caregiving environments influence the colonization of the infant gastrointestinal microbiome. We investigated how infant contact with caregivers at birth and within the first 2 weeks of life relates to the composition of the gastrointestinal microbiome in a sample of U.S. infants (n = 60). METHODS: Skin-to-skin and physical contact with caregivers at birth and early caregiving environments were surveyed at 2 weeks postpartum. Stool samples were collected from infants at 2 weeks, 2, 6, and 12 months of age and underwent 16S rRNA sequencing as a proxy for the gastrointestinal microbiome. Associations between early caregiving environments and alpha and beta diversity, and differential abundance of bacteria at the genus level were assessed using PERMANOVA, and negative binomial mixed models in DEseq2. RESULTS: Time in physical contact with caregivers explained 10% of variation in beta diversity at 2 weeks age. The number of caregivers in the first few weeks of life explained 9% of variation in beta diversity at 2 weeks and the number of individuals in physical contact at birth explained 11% of variation in beta diversity at 6 months. Skin-to-skin contact on the day of birth was positively associated with the abundance of eight genera. Infants held for by more individuals had greater abundance of eight genera. DISCUSSION: Results reveal a potential mechanism (skin-to-skin and physical contact) by which caregivers influence the infant gastrointestinal microbiome. Our findings contribute to work exploring the social transmission of microbes

Global Forces of Change: Implications for Forest-poverty Dynamics

This article examines global trends likely to influence forests and tree-based systems and considers the poverty implications of these interactions. The trends, identified through a series of expert discussions and review of the literature, include: (i) climatic impacts mediated through changes in forests, (ii) growth in commodity markets, (iii) shifts in private and public forest sector financing, (iv) technological advances and rising interconnectivity, (v) global socio-political movements, and (vi) emerging infectious diseases. These trends bring opportunities and risks to the forest-reliant poor. A review of available evidence suggests that in a business-as-usual scenario, the cumulative risks posed by these global forces, in conjunction with limited rights, resources, and skills required to prosper from global changes, are likely to place poor and transient poor households under additional stress. The article concludes with an assessment of how interventions for enhancing forest management, combined with supportive policy and institutional conditions, can contribute to a different and more prosperous future for forests and people

Chromosomes 4 and 8 implicated in a genome wide SNP linkage scan of 762 prostate cancer families collected by the ICPCG

BACKGROUND In spite of intensive efforts, understanding of the genetic aspects of familial prostate cancer (PC) remains largely incomplete. In a previous microsatellite‐based linkage scan of 1,233 PC families, we identified suggestive evidence for linkage (i.e., LOD ≥ 1.86) at 5q12, 15q11, 17q21, 22q12, and two loci on 8p, with additional regions implicated in subsets of families defined by age at diagnosis, disease aggressiveness, or number of affected members. METHODS In an attempt to replicate these findings and increase linkage resolution, we used the Illumina 6000 SNP linkage panel to perform a genome‐wide linkage scan of an independent set of 762 multiplex PC families, collected by 11 International Consortium for Prostate Cancer Genetics (ICPCG) groups. RESULTS Of the regions identified previously, modest evidence of replication was observed only on the short arm of chromosome 8, where HLOD scores of 1.63 and 3.60 were observed in the complete set of families and families with young average age at diagnosis, respectively. The most significant linkage signals found in the complete set of families were observed across a broad, 37 cM interval on 4q13–25, with LOD scores ranging from 2.02 to 2.62, increasing to 4.50 in families with older average age at diagnosis. In families with multiple cases presenting with more aggressive disease, LOD scores over 3.0 were observed at 8q24 in the vicinity of previously identified common PC risk variants, as well as MYC , an important gene in PC biology. CONCLUSIONS These results will be useful in prioritizing future susceptibility gene discovery efforts in this common cancer. Prostate 72:410–426, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90245/1/21443_ftp.pd