The Army of Occupation: Americans in the Canadian Northwest During World War II

Climate change is transforming the Arctic. Questions abound about what this will mean for the Canadian Forces, for Canada’s sover­eignty position, for northern peoples, and for stability and security in the circumpolar world. Fortunately, Canadians have encountered and debated similar issues in the past. This volume, featuring chapters by established and emerging scholars, offers essential historical analysis on Canadian Arctic security and sovereignty policies and practices since the Second World War. The “lessons learned” lay a solid foundation for future research and historiographical debate in this dynamic field, and should inform Canadian thinking on what is necessary to protect national interests in the twenty-first-century Arctic

Occurrence, Resource Use, and Demography of the Common Raven in North America: a Research Synthesis

We reviewed the scientific literature to inventory existing studies of common raven (Corvus corax; raven) ecology in western North America. We conducted an intial literature review between June 2015 and March 2018. Prior to completing our review, we revisited the published literature for any additional relevant studies in July 2021. Our goal was to identify knowledge gaps and to synthesize the current understanding of environmental features that may support raven populations that pose general threats to biodiversity and sensitive species in particular. We focused our review on studies with direct conservation applications related to 3 processes of raven ecology: occurrence, resource use, and demography. We identified covariates that researchers associated with these processes of raven ecology, and we also quantified the geographic distribution of studies. Our review identified 54 studies, with an increasing number of studies published per decade and a geographic bias characterized by more studies conducted in the Mojave and Columbia Plateau ecoregions than elsewhere. Most studies (44) reported on a single ecological process, but 10 studies reported on multiple ecological processes. Results related to raven occurrence appeared 31 times; demographic results appeared 21 times; and resource use was reported 17 times. We also identified 13 explanatory covariates regularly invoked to explain variation in raven ecological processes. Greater attention was given to covariates including vegetation land cover, human settlement, recreation, and linear rights-of-ways than were used to explain variation in ecological processes. Most demographic studies investigated raven reproduction exclusively, but a small number of studies considered raven survival exclusively or in combination with reproduction. Along with a detailed summary of individual studies provided as an appendix, we intend for our findings to serve as a reference and to help identify future research priorities

A Desert Tortoise–Common Raven Viable Conflict Threshold

Since 1966, common raven (Corvus corax; raven) abundance has increased throughout much of this species’ Holarctic distribution, fueled by an ever-expanding supply of anthropogenic resource subsidies (e.g., water, food, shelter, and nesting substrate) to ecoregion specific raven population carrying capacities. Consequently, ravens are implicated in declines of both avian and reptilian species of conservation concern, including the California (USA) endangered and federally threatened Mojave desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii; desert tortoise). While ravens are a natural predator of desert tortoises, the inter-generational stability of desert tortoise populations is expected to be compromised as annual juvenile survival is suppressed below 0.77 through a combination of raven depredation and other sources of mortality. To estimate the extent to which raven depredation suppresses desert tortoise recruitment within the Mojave Desert of California, we collected data from 274 variable-radius point counts, 78 desert tortoise decoy stations, and 8 control stations during the spring of 2020. Additionally, we complied a geodatabase of previously active raven nests, observed between 2013 and 2020. Raven density estimates from 4 monitoring areas ranged between 0.63 (eastern most) and 2.44 (western most) raven km-2 (95% CI: 0.35–1.14 and 1.33–4.48, respectively). We used a Bayesian shared frailty model to estimate the effects of raven density and distance to the nearest previously active raven nest on the annual “survival” of juvenile desert tortoise decoys (75-mm Midline Carapace Length), which we then converted into survival estimates for 0- to 10-year-old desert tortoises by adjusting exposure to reflect natural activity patterns. At the 1.72-km median distance from the nearest previously active raven nest, the estimated annual survival of desert tortoises decreased as raven density increased, ranging among conservation areas from 0.774 (eastern most) to 0.733 (western most). Accordingly, our model predicts that desert tortoise populations exposed to raven densities in excess of 0.89 raven km-2, at a distanc

Value of the Routine Assessment of Patient Index Data 3 in Patients With Psoriatic Arthritis:Results From a Tight-Control Clinical Trial and an Observational Cohort

Objective: To analyze the Routine Assessment of Patient Index Data 3 (RAPID3), a patient-reported, composite index, designed initially for feasibility in clinical care. RAPID3 was developed in rheumatoid arthritis, but has been found useful in many rheumatic diseases. We analyzed RAPID3 in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Methods: Post hoc analyses were performed on 2 independent data sets, the Tight Control of Psoriatic Arthritis (TICOPA) clinical trial, and the Long-Term Outcome in Psoriatic Arthritis Study (LOPAS II), an observational cohort. RAPID3 (range 0–30) is the total of three 0–10 scores for the Health Assessment Questionnaire disability index (recalculated from 0–3), pain visual analog scale (VAS), and global VAS. RAPID3 scores were compared to the Psoriatic Arthritis Disease Activity Score (PASDAS), the Disease Activity in Psoriatic Arthritis (DAPSA), and other available clinical measures, according to Spearman's correlation coefficients, standardized response mean, SEM, smallest detectible difference, minimally important difference (in patients who improved), and receiver operating characteristic curves. RAPID3 remission was compared to criteria for both standard minimal disease activity (MDA) and very low disease activity (VLDA). Results: RAPID3 was correlated significantly with PASDAS in TICOPA (r = 0.79, P &lt; 0.01) and with DAPSA in LOPAS II (ρ = 0.59, P &lt; 0.01), and with most other measures in both data sets. RAPID3 discriminated between tight control and standard care in TICOPA at 48 weeks at levels comparable to DAPSA and the PASDAS (P &lt; 0.01). RAPID3 remission discriminated treatment groups in TICOPA intermediate between MDA and VLDA criteria. Conclusion: RAPID3 appears comparably informative to PASDAS and DAPSA in PsA, with greater feasibility for routine clinical care.</p

Synthesis of Nest Predation Impacts of Common Ravens on Sensitive Avian Species

Decades of mounting scientific evidence have revealed that common raven (Corvus corax; raven) population numbers have been increasing across nearly all regions of their geographic range in North America. Concomitantly, numerous native wildlife species have experienced elevated predation rates from ravens as populations have increased and expanded their range. Managers are concerned that increased raven predation of many threatened and endangered avian species in the U.S. and Canada during nesting periods may be hampering species recovery. We explored the literature to aggregate existing knowledge and evaluate the impacts of raven predation on nests and young of sensitive avian species. We used this information to develop a simple relative index for each species, the “Raven Impact Index” (RII). The RII incorporated the species demographic rates, abundance of ravens in relation to each sensitive species’ breeding range, and the degree of overlap between raven and sensitive prey distributions. We also developed a second relative descriptor describing our confidence in each RII, termed a “Impact Credibility Index (ICI).” The species ICI was based on the number of published studies and the type of evidence presented (e.g., circumstantial vs. direct). We found evidence of nest predation on 8 sensitive avian species and suspected nest predation on 1 additional species. All species shared aspects of nesting biology that suggested they would likely be susceptible to raven nest predation. The RII varied among prey species, with greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) having the highest relative impact values, followed by snowy plover (Charadrius nivosus nivosus), marbled murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus), and Gunnison sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus). Our species RII is intended to inform management decisions regarding actions that mitigate the negative effects of raven predation of sensitive avian species. Although elevated nest predation may be of high conservation concern, it is important to recognize that all of the sensitive native prey species we established an RII for also face multiple conservation threats

The comparative performance of three screening questionnaires for psoriatic arthritis in a primary care surveillance study

Objectives: The objective of this study was to compare the performance of three PsA screening questionnaires in a primary care psoriasis surveillance study. Methods: Participants with psoriasis, and not known to have PsA, were identified from general practice databases and invited to attend a secondary care centre for a clinical assessment. The three patient-completed screening questionnaires (PEST, CONTEST and CONTESTjt) were administered, along with other patient-reported measures, and a clinical examination of skin and joints was performed. Participants who demonstrated signs of inflammatory arthritis suggestive of PsA were referred, via their GP, for a further assessment in a secondary care rheumatology clinic. Results: A total of 791 participants attended the screening visit, and 165 participants were judged to have signs and symptoms of inflammatory arthritis, of which 150 were referred for assessment. Of these, 126 were seen and 48 were diagnosed with PsA. The results for each questionnaire were as follows: PEST: sensitivity 0.625 (95% CI 0.482, 0.749), specificity 0.757 (0.724, 0.787); CONTEST: sensitivity 0.604 (0.461, 0.731), specificity 0.768 (0.736, 0.798); and CONTESTjt: sensitivity 0.542 (0.401, 0.676), specificity 0.834 (0.805, 0.859). CONTESTjt demonstrated marginally superior specificity to PEST, though the area under the ROC curve was similar for all three instruments. Conclusion: Minimal differences between the three screening questionnaires were found in this study, and no preferred questionnaire is indicated by these results. The choice of which instrument to choose will depend on other factors, such as simplicity and low patient burden

Plasma Total Glutathione in Humans and its Association with Demographic and Health-Related Factors

The tripeptide glutathione is proposed to be protective against a number of chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease and cancer. However, there have been few studies of plasma glutathione levels in humans and in those studies the numbers of participants have been very small. In an exploratory analysis the determinants of plasma total glutathione (GSHt) were investigated in a group of 100 volunteers aged 18–61 years in Atlanta, Georgia, USA during June and July 1989. Data on demographic and health-related factors were collected by interview and plasma GSHt was measured using a recently modified laboratory method. The mean concentration of plasma GSHt for all 100 participants was 761 pg/1, with a standard deviation of 451 pg/1, a range of 86–2889 pg/1 and a median of 649 pg/1. Men had significantly higher levels of plasma GSHt than women (924 v. 692 pg/1; P = 0.006). Seventh-day Adventists participating in the present study had higher plasma GSHt levels than other subgroups defined by race and/or religion. Among Seventh-day Adventists consumption of a vegetarian diet was associated with increased plasma GSHt concentration (P = 0.002). Plasma GSHt levels also appeared to vary by race, but relationships with race could not be clearly disassociated from relationships with religion. Among white participants plasma GSHt concentration decreased with age in women but increased with age in men (P = 0.05). Few other factors were associated with plasma GSHt concentration, although use of oral contraceptives (P=0.10) was somewhat associated with decreased plasma GSHt levels. These findings suggest that plasma GSHt levels may vary with several demographic and health-related attributes and support the need for further research on this potentially important disease-preventive compound. © 1993, The Nutrition Society. All rights reserved

Increased Nonconducted P-Wave Arrhythmias after a Single Oil Fly Ash Inhalation Exposure in Hypertensive Rats

Background: Exposure to combustion-derived fine particulate matter (PM) is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality especially in individuals with cardiovascular disease, including hypertension. PM inhalation causes several adverse changes in cardiac function that are reflected in the electrocardiogram (ECG), including altered cardiac rhythm, myocardial ischemia, and reduced heart rate variability (HRV). The sensitivity and reliability of ECG-derived parameters as indicators of the cardiovascular toxicity of PM in rats are unclear. Objective: We hypothesized that spontaneously hypertensive (SH) rats are more susceptible to the development of PM-induced arrhythmia, altered ECG morphology, and reduced HRV than are Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats, a related strain with normal blood pressure. Methods: We exposed rats once by nose-only inhalation for 4 hr to residual oil fly ash (ROFA), an emission source particle rich in transition metals, or to air and then sacrificed them 1 or 48 hr later. Results: ROFA-exposed SH rats developed nonconducted P-wave arrhythmias but no changes in ECG morphology or HRV. We found no ECG effects in ROFA-exposed WKY rats. ROFA-exposed SH rats also had greater pulmonary injury, neutrophil infiltration, and serum C-reactive protein than did ROFA-exposed WKY rats. Conclusions: These results suggest that cardiac arrhythmias may be an early sensitive indicator of the propensity for PM inhalation to modify cardiovascular function. Originally published Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 117, No. 5, May 200

Quaternary geology of the Northern Great Plains

The Great Plains physiographic province lies east of the Rocky Mountains and extends from southern Alberta and Saskatchewan nearly to the United States-Mexico border. This chapter covers only the northern part of the unglaciated portion of this huge region, from Oklahoma almost to the United StatesCanada border, a portion that herein will be referred to simply as the Northern Great Plains (Fig. 1). This region is in the rain shadow of the Rocky Mountains. Isoheyets are roughly longitudinal, and mean annual precipitation decreases from about 750 mm at the southeastern margin to less than 380 mm in the western and northern parts (Fig. 2). Winters typically are cold with relatively little precipitation, mostly as snow; summers are hot with increased precipitation, chiefly associated with movement of Pacific and Arctic air masses into warm, humid air masses from the Gulf of Mexico. Vegetation is almost wholly prairie grassland, due to the semiarid, markedly seasonal climate. The Northern Great Plains is a large region of generally low relief sloping eastward from the Rocky Mountains toward the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. Its basic bedrock structure is a broad syncline, punctuated by the Black Hills and a few smaller uplifts, and by structural basins such as the Williston, Powder River, and Denver-Julesburg Basins (Fig. 3). Its surface bedrock is chiefly Cretaceous and Tertiary sediments, with small areas of older rocks in the Black Hills, central Montana, and eastern parts of Wyoming, Kansas, and Oklahoma. During the Laramide orogeny (latest Cretaceous through Eocene), while the Rocky Mountains and Black Hills were rising, synorogenic sediments (frequently with large amounts of volcanic ash from volcanic centers in the Rocky Mountains) were deposited in the subsiding Denver-Julesburg, Powder River, and other basins. From Oligocene to Miocene time, sedimentation generally slowed with declining tectonism and volcanism in the Rocky Mountains. However, since the later Miocene, epeirogenic uplift, probably associated with the East Pacific Rise, affected the Great Plains and particularly the Rocky Mountains. During the last 10 m.y. the Rocky Mountain front has risen 1.5 to 2 km, and the eastern margin of the Great Plains 100 to 500 m (Gable and Hatton, 1983), with half to one-quarter of these amounts during the last 5 m.y. Thus, during the later Miocene the Great Plains became a huge aggrading piedmont sloping gently eastward from the Rocky Mountains and Black Hills, with generally eastward drainage, on which the Ogallala Formation and equivalents was deposited. The Ogallala underlies the High Plains Surface, the highest and oldest geomorphic surface preserved in this region. It has been completely eroded along some parts of the western margin of the region (e.g., the Colorado Piedmont), but eastward, it (and its equivalents, such as the Flaxville gravels in Montana) locally is preserved as caprock or buried by Quaternary sediments (Alden, 1924, 1932; Howard, 1960; Stanley, 1971, 1976; Pearl, 1971; Scott, 1982; Corner and Diffendal, 1983; Diffendal and Corner, 1984; Swinehart and others, 1985; Aber, 1985). During the Pliocene, regional aggradation slowly changed to dissection by the principal rivers. In the western part of the region the rivers flowed eastward, but the continental drainage divide Figure 3. Major bedrock structures of the Northern Great Plains. extended northeast from the Black Hills through central South Dakota, far south of its present position. The ancestral upper Missouri, Little Missouri, Yellowstone, and Cheyenne Rivers drained northeast to Hudson Bay, whereas the ancestral White, Platte, and Arkansas Rivers went to the Gulf of Mexico (Fig 4A). Their courses are marked by scattered surface and subsurface gravel remnants; in Montana and North Dakota, deposits of the preglacial Missouri River and its tributaries are buried deeply beneath glacial and other sediments (Howard, 1960; Bluemle, 1972)

Outcomes of the 2019 GRAPPA workshop on continuous composite indices for the assessment of psoriatic arthritis and membership-recommended next steps

OBJECTIVE: Improving the assessment of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a key purpose of the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and PsA (GRAPPA). Herein, we report the proceedings of the GRAPPA composites workshop at the 2019 GRAPPA annual meeting and the membership\u27s recommended next steps. METHODS: A review of continuous composite measures was conducted in an introductory workshop, followed by 10 breakout group sessions and a final plenary session for feedback and voting. RESULTS: Participants included 154 members: 87 rheumatologists, 18 dermatologists, 2 rheumatologist/dermatologists, 12 patient research partners, 14 academics, 1 methodologist, and 20 industry members. Of voting members, 88.8% agreed a need exists for a continuous composite measure for routine practice, but only 62% were currently using a composite measure. Of these, 27% were using the 28-joint count Disease Activity Score (DAS), which is not a PsA-specific measure; 20% were using a PsA-specific measure such as PsA DAS (PASDAS), Composite Psoriatic Disease Activity Index (CPDAI), or Disease Activity Index for PsA (DAPSA). Members agreed that the existing measures were not feasible in their current forms (CPDAI 83%, PASDAS 82%, and DAPSA 47%) and that modification should be tested. The majority (76%) agreed that disease effect should be measured separately from disease activity. CONCLUSION: The GRAPPA membership supports the need for a continuous composite measure of disease activity for use in routine clinical care, the separate measurement of disease effect and activity, and the testing of modifications to candidate instruments rather than the development of new measures