Northwestern United States Research Articles

Demographic responses of nearly extirpated endangered mountain caribou to recovery actions in Central British Columbia.

Recovering endangered species is a difficult and often controversial task that challenges status quo land uses. Southern Mountain caribou are a threatened ecotype of caribou that historically ranged in southwestern Canada and northwestern USA and epitomize the tension between resource extraction, biodiversity conservation, and Indigenous Peoples' treaty rights. Human‐induced habitat alteration is considered the ultimate cause of caribou population declines, whereby an increased abundance of primary prey—such as moose and deer—elevates predator populations and creates unsustainable caribou mortality. Here we focus on the Klinse‐Za and Quintette subpopulations, part of the endangered Central Group of Southern Mountain caribou in British Columbia. These subpopulations were trending toward immediate extirpation until a collaborative group initiated recovery by implementing two short‐term recovery actions. We test the effectiveness of these recovery actions—maternity penning of adult females and their calves, and the reduction of a primary predator, wolves—in increasing vital rates and population growth. Klinse‐Za received both recovery actions, whereas Quintette only received wolf reductions, providing an opportunity to test efficacy between recovery actions. Between 1995 and 2021, we followed 162 collared female caribou for 414 animal‐years to estimate survival and used aerial counts to estimate population abundance and calf recruitment. We combined these data in an integrated population model to estimate female population growth, total population abundance, and recovery action effectiveness. Results suggest that the subpopulations were declining rapidly (λ = 0.90–0.93) before interventions and would have been functionally extirpated (<10 animals) within 10–15 years. Wolf reduction increased population growth rates by ~0.12 for each subpopulation. Wolf reduction halted the decline of Quintette caribou and allowed them to increase (λ = 1.05), but alone would have only stabilized the Klinse‐Za (λ = 1.02). However, maternity penning in the Klinse‐Za increased population growth by a further ~0.06, which when combined with wolf reductions, allowed populations to grow (λ = 1.08). Taken together, the recovery actions in these subpopulations increased adult female survival, calf recruitment, and overall population growth, more than doubling abundance. Our results suggest that maternity penning and wolf reductions can be effective at increasing caribou numbers in the short term, while long‐term commitments to habitat protection and restoration are made.

A Jet-Centered Framework for Investigating High Plains Winter Storm Severity

Abstract This study utilizes a winter severity index (WSI) to characterize the impacts of High (Great) Plains winter storms during the 2006/07–2018/19 winter seasons across Nebraska and the Colorado Front Range. Winter storms are specifically defined based on the severity of their meteorological impacts and are required to influence a majority of Department of Transportation (DOT) districts within both states. Following their identification, winter storms are examined using a jet-centered framework based on the two leading modes of North Pacific jet (NPJ) and North Atlantic jet (NAJ) variability. The analysis reveals that a retracted or equatorward-shifted NPJ establishes a highly amplified flow pattern conducive to cyclogenesis over the central United States, while a poleward- or equatorward-shifted NAJ favors the development of a strongly baroclinic environment across the study region that serves as a focal region for cyclogenesis and precipitation. Composite analyses of winter storms that rank in the top 25% and bottom 25% in terms of their aggregate WSI are also performed to identify characteristics of the synoptic-scale evolution that discriminate between “high impact” and “low impact” events, respectively. High-impact events are found to feature a more amplified upper-tropospheric flow pattern over the eastern North Pacific and western United States relative to low-impact events, which subsequently favors stronger cyclogenesis over the southern plains. The integration of jet regimes with winter storm severity metrics as part of this study offers the potential to enhance impact-based decision support services and provide the weather enterprise, and its stakeholders, with critical life-saving information.

Informing conservation decisions to target private lands of highest ecological value and risk of loss.

Natural habitats on private lands are potentially important components of national biodiversity conservation strategies, yet they are being rapidly lost to development. Conservation easements and other means of protecting these habitats have expanded in use and will be most effective if they target private lands of highest biodiversity value and risk of loss. We developed a Biodiversity Conservation Priority Index (BCPI) based on ecological value and risk of habitat loss for remaining areas of natural vegetation cover (NVC) in the northwestern United States and addressed two questions: (1) Which remaining NVC on private lands is the highest priority for biodiversity conservation based on ecological value and risk of development? And (2) are conservation easements in NVC placed preferentially in locations of high biodiversity conservation priority? Drawing on the concept of ecological integrity, we integrated five metrics of ecological structure, function, and composition to quantify ecological value of NVC. These included net primary productivity, species richness, ecosystem type representation, imperiled species range rarity, and connectivity among "Greater Wildland Ecosystems." Risk of habitat loss was derived from analysis of biophysical and sociodemographic predictors of NVC loss. Ecological value and risk of loss were combined into the BCPI. We then analyzed spatial patterns of BCPI to identify the NVC highest in biodiversity conservation priority and examined the relationship between BCPI and conservation easement status. We found that BCPI varied spatially across the study area and was highest in western and southern portions of the study area. High BCPI was associated with suburban and rural development, roads, urban proximity, valley bottom landforms, and low intensity of current development. Existing conservation easements were distributed more towards lower BCPI values than unprotected NVC at both the study area and region scales. The BCPI can be used to better inform land use decision making at local, regional, and potentially national scales in order to better achieve biodiversity goals.

Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program for Diabetes Control Among Community Health Centers in Rural Idaho and Oregon.

A Fruit and Vegetable Prescription program (12-16 weeks, 2018-2020) was implemented at community health centers serving rural communities in the northwestern United States. The impact of the program on type 2 diabetes control was evaluated. Reductions in mean hemoglobin A1C were statistically significant (P < .01). The percentage of participants with critically high blood glucose levels (A1C > 9%) decreased from 76% (114/151) to 41% (62/151; P < .01). The findings mirror those of similar programs. The sustainability of these beneficial interventions, however, relies on improved access to preventive care. (Am J Public Health. 2022;112(7):975-979.https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.306853).

Evaluating Providers' Prescription Opioid Instructions to Pediatric Patients.

Receiving an opioid prescription during childhood increases the risk of hazardous prescription opioid (PO) use during emerging adulthood. Instruction on how to safely use POs plays an essential role in pediatric patients’ capacity to utilize as well as to discontinue POs appropriately. This study aimed to evaluate pediatric PO label instructions provided to a large sample of pediatric outpatients. Data were extracted from the electronic healthcare records system identifying pediatric patients who received a PO between 2016 and 2019 from pediatric outpatient medical clinics were affiliated with a northwestern United States medical center and children’s hospital. Pediatric patients (n = 12,613) between 0–17 years old who received a PO during outpatient care were included. Patients with chronic health conditions (e.g., cancer) or who received their PO from an inpatient medical setting were excluded. Patient demographics, medication instructions, associated diagnoses, and other prescription information (e.g., name of medication, dose, and quantity dispensed) were examined using automated text classification. Many label instructions did not include any indication/reason for use (20.8%). Virtually none of the POs (>99%) included instructions for how to reduce/wean off POs, contact information for questions about the POs, and/or instructions around how to dispose of the POs. Efforts are needed to ensure that pediatric PO instructions contain essential elements to improve comprehension of when and how to use POs for pediatric patients.

Climate change influences on the geographic distributional potential of the spotted fever vectors Amblyomma maculatum and Dermacentor andersoni.

Amblyomma maculatum (Gulf Coast tick), and Dermacentor andersoni (Rocky Mountain wood tick) are two North American ticks that transmit spotted fevers associated Rickettsia. Amblyomma maculatum transmits Rickettsia parkeri and Francisella tularensis, while D. andersoni transmits R. rickettsii, Anaplasma marginale, Coltivirus (Colorado tick fever virus), and F. tularensis. Increases in temperature causes mild winters and more extreme dry periods during summers, which will affect tick populations in unknown ways. Here, we used ecological niche modeling (ENM) to assess the potential geographic distributions of these two medically important vector species in North America under current condition and then transfer those models to the future under different future climate scenarios with special interest in highlighting new potential expansion areas. Current model predictions for A. maculatum showed suitable areas across the southern and Midwest United States, and east coast, western and southern Mexico. For D. andersoni, our models showed broad suitable areas across northwestern United States. New potential for range expansions was anticipated for both tick species northward in response to climate change, extending across the Midwest and New England for A. maculatum, and still farther north into Canada for D. andersoni.

Falls in Older Adults Requiring Emergency Services: Mortality, Use of Healthcare Resources, and Prognostication to One Year.

IntroductionOlder adults who fall commonly require emergency services, but research on long-term outcomes and prognostication is sparse. We evaluated older adults transported by ambulance after a fall in the Northwestern United States (US) and longitudinally tracked subsequent healthcare use, transitions to skilled nursing, hospice, mortality, and prognostication to one year.MethodsThis was a planned secondary analysis of a cohort study of community-dwelling older adults enrolled from January 1–December 31, 2011, with follow-up through December 31, 2012. We included all adults ≥ 65 years transported by 44 emergency medical services agencies in seven Northwest counties to 51 hospitals after a fall. We matched Medicare claims, state inpatient data, state trauma registry data, and death records. Outcomes included mortality, healthcare use, and new claims for skilled nursing and hospice to one year.ResultsThere were 3,159 older adults, with 147 (4.7%) deaths within 30 days and 665 (21.1%) deaths within one year. There was an initial spike in inpatient days, followed by increases in skilled nursing and hospice. We identified four predictors of mortality: respiratory diagnosis; serious brain injury; baseline disability; and Charlson Comorbidity Index ≥ 2. Having any of these predictors was 96.6% sensitive (95% confidence interval [CI]: 95.7, 97.5%) and 21.4% specific (95% CI: 19.9, 22.9%) for 30-day mortality, and 91.6% sensitive (95% CI: 89.5, 93.8%). and 23.8% specific (95% CI: 22.1, 25.5%) for one-year mortality.ConclusionCommunity-dwelling older adults requiring ambulance transport after a fall have marked increases in healthcare use, institutionalized living, and mortality over the subsequent year. Most deaths occur following the acute care period and can be identified with high sensitivity at the time of the index visit, yet with low specificity.

A Comparison of Multitemporal Airborne Laser Scanning Data and the Fuel Characteristics Classification System for Estimating Fuel Load and Consumption

AbstractCharacterizing pre‐fire fuel load and fuel consumption are critical for assessing fire behavior, fire effects, and smoke emissions. Two approaches for quantifying fuel load are airborne laser scanning (ALS) and the Fuel Characteristic Classification System (FCCS). The implementation of multitemporal ALS (i.e., the use of two or more ALS datasets across time at a given location) in conjunction with empirical models trained with field data can be used to measure fuel and estimate fuel consumption from a fire. FCCS, adapted for use in LANDFIRE (LF), provides 30 m resolution estimates of fuel load across the contiguous United States and can be used to estimate fuel consumption through software programs such as Fuel and Fire Tools (FFT). This study compares the two approaches for two wildfires in the northwestern United States having predominantly sagebrush steppe and ponderosa pine savanna ecosystems. The results showed that the LF FCCS approach yielded higher pre‐fire fuel loads and fuel consumption than the ALS approach and that the coarser scale LF FCCS data did not capture as much heterogeneity as the ALS data. At Tepee, 50.0% of the difference in fuel load and 87.3% of the difference in fuel consumption were associated with distinguishing sparse trees from rangeland. At Keithly, this only accounted for 8.2% and 8.6% of the differences, demonstrating the significance of capturing heterogeneity in rangeland vegetation structure and fire effects. Our results suggest future opportunities to use ALS data to better parametrize fine‐scale fuel load variability that LF FCCS does not capture.

A Process-Conditioned and Spatially Consistent Method for Reducing Systematic Biases in Modeled Streamflow

Abstract Water resources planning often uses streamflow predictions made by hydrologic models. These simulated predictions have systematic errors that limit their usefulness as input to water management models. To account for these errors, streamflow predictions are bias corrected through statistical methods that adjust model predictions based on comparisons to reference datasets (such as observed streamflow). Existing bias correction methods have several shortcomings when used to correct spatially distributed streamflow predictions. First, existing bias correction methods destroy the spatiotemporal consistency of the streamflow predictions when these methods are applied independently at multiple sites across a river network. Second, bias correction techniques are usually built on time-invariant mappings between reference and simulated streamflow without accounting for the processes that underpin the systematic errors. We describe improved bias correction techniques that account for the river network topology and allow for corrections that account for other processes. Further, we present a workflow that allows the user to select whether to apply these techniques separately or in conjunction. We evaluate four different bias correction methods implemented with our workflow in the Yakima River basin in the northwestern United States. We find that all four methods reduce systematic bias in the simulated streamflow. The spatially consistent bias correction methods produce spatially distributed streamflow as well as bias-corrected incremental streamflow, which is suitable for input to water management models. We demonstrate how the spatially consistent method avoids creating flows that are inconsistent between upstream and downstream locations, while performing similar to existing methods. We also find that conditioning on daily minimum temperature, which we use as a proxy for snowmelt processes, improves the timing of the corrected streamflow. Significance Statement To make streamflow predictions from hydrologic models more informative and useful for water resources management they are often postprocessed by a statistical procedure known as bias correction. In this work we develop and demonstrate bias correction techniques that are specifically tailored to streamflow prediction. These new techniques will make modeled streamflow predictions more useful in complex river systems undergoing climate change.

Do metapopulations and management matter for relict headwater bull trout populations in a warming climate?

Mountain headwater streams have emerged as important climate refuges for native cold-water species due to their slow climate velocities and extreme physical conditions that inhibit non-native invasions. Species persisting in refuges often do so as fragmented, relict populations from broader historical distributions that are subject to ongoing habitat reductions and increasing isolation as climate change progresses. Key for conservation planning is determining where remaining populations will persist and how habitat restoration strategies can improve biological resilience to enhance the long-term prospects for species of concern. Studying bull trout, a headwater species in the northwestern USA, we developed habitat occupancy models using a data set of population occurrence in 991 natal habitat patches with a suite of novel geospatial covariates derived from high-resolution hydroclimatic scenarios and other sources representing watershed and instream habitat conditions, patch geometry, disturbance, and biological interactions. The best model correctly predicted bull trout occupancy status in 82.6% of the patches and included effects for: patch size estimated as habitat volume, extent of within-patch reaches <9°C mean August temperature, distance to nearest occupied patch, road density, invasive brook trout prevalence, patch slope, and frequency of high winter flows. The model was used to assess 16 scenarios of bull trout occurrence within the study streams that represented a range of restoration strategies under three climatic conditions (baseline, moderate change, and extreme change). Results suggested that regional improvements in bull trout status were difficult to achieve in realistic restoration strategies due to the pervasive nature of climate change and the limited extent of restoration actions given their high costs. However, occurrence probabilities in a subset of patches were highly responsive to restoration actions, suggesting that targeted investments to improve the resilience of some populations may be contextually beneficial. A possible strategy, therefore, is focusing effort on responsive populations near more robust population strongholds, thereby contributing to local enclaves where dispersal among populations further enhances resilience. Equally important, strongholds constituted a small numerical percentage of patches (5%-21%), yet encompassed the large majority of occupied habitat by volume (72%-89%) and their protection could have significant conservation benefits for bull trout.

A new species of Celastrina from the northwestern United States and southwestern Canada with a lectotype designation of Lycaena pseudargiolus var. nigrescens Fletcher (Lycaenidae: Polyommatinae)

A new species of Celastrina from the northwestern United States and southwestern Canada with a lectotype designation of Lycaena pseudargiolus var. nigrescens Fletcher (Lycaenidae: Polyommatinae)

Prevalence and Demographic Profiles of Food Insecure College Students at Main and Satellite Campuses in Northwestern USA.

Background: Recent studies demonstrated that food insecurity rates among college students surpass that of the general population. Both academic and health implications have been associated with food insecurity. Aim: This study compared the prevalence of food insecurity among students at three satellite campuses with those at the main campus of a 4-year, public university. Methods: In this cross-sectional design study, data were collected for four weeks using an anonymous, online questionnaire (10 demographic questions plus the USDA's Adult Food Security Survey 10-item module). A sample of 983 students was recruited from the 9064 undergraduate and graduate students attending a state university. Chi-square tests were used to assess demographic differences between food insecure students on the main and satellite campuses. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate the odds of food insecurity by campus (satellite vs. main), after controlling for demographics. Statistical significance was assessed at P < 0.05. Results: Bivariate results indicated the rate of food insecurity was significantly higher on the main campus (45%) than on the satellite campuses (34%, P = 0.007). However, after controlling for demographics there was no difference in the odds of food insecurity by campus (P = 0.239). Conclusion: The study findings are novel as no other studies compared the prevalence of food insecurity among students attending satellite campuses compared with those at the main campus. After controlling for demographics, type of campus (satellite vs. main) was not a significant factor in the odds of food insecurity.

Genomic Comparisons of Two Armillaria Species with Different Ecological Behaviors and Their Associated Soil Microbial Communities.

Armillaria species show considerable variation in ecological roles and virulence, from mycorrhizae and saprophytes to important root pathogens of trees and horticultural crops. We studied two Armillaria species that can be found in coniferous forests of northwestern USA and southwestern Canada. Armillaria altimontana not only is considered as a weak, opportunistic pathogen of coniferous trees, but it also appears to exhibit in situ biological control against A. solidipes, formerly North American A. ostoyae, which is considered a virulent pathogen of coniferous trees. Here, we describe their genome assemblies and present a functional annotation of the predicted genes and proteins for the two Armillaria species that exhibit contrasting ecological roles. In addition, the soil microbial communities were examined in association with the two Armillaria species within a 45-year-old plantation of western white pine (Pinus monticola) in northern Idaho, USA, where A. altimontana was associated with improved tree growth and survival, while A. solidipes was associated with reduced growth and survival. The results from this study reveal a high similarity between the genomes of the beneficial/non-pathogenic A. altimontana and pathogenic A. solidipes; however, many relatively small differences in gene content were identified that could contribute to differences in ecological lifestyles and interactions with woody hosts and soil microbial communities.

Increasing Cases of Chronic Nonbacterial Osteomyelitis in Children: A Series of 215 Cases From a Single Tertiary Referral Center.

Chronic nonbacterial osteomyelitis (CNO) is a rare autoinflammatory bone disease that is gaining recognition from clinicians and researchers. We aim to publish data from our cohort of patients with CNO living in the northwestern United States to increase the awareness of specific demographics, characteristics, and presentation of this rare disease. A retrospective chart review was performed of our electronic medical records. Patients with complete chart records who met criteria for a diagnosis of CNO from 2005 to 2019 were included. Extracted data including patient demographics, bone biopsy results, and lesion locations on advanced imaging were analyzed. King County census data were used to calculate the annual new case rate within our center. A total of 215 CNO cases were diagnosed at our large tertiary pediatric hospital. The majority of cases were of White race residing in Washington's most populous county, King County. Most cases were diagnosed in 2016 to 2019, showing a significant increase in the annual case rate from 8 to 23 per million children in King County, though there did not appear to be a seasonal predilection. Biopsy rate decreased from 75% to 52%. One hundred fifty-two (71%) children had family history of autoimmunity. With increasing use of whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WB-MRI), results showed 68% had multiple lesions. CNO has been diagnosed at an increased rate in recent years. WB-MRI may assist in identifying other lesions that may be asymptomatic on presentation. Bone biopsy is still required in some children at the time of diagnosis.

Projecting Future Fire Regimes in a Semiarid Watershed of the Inland Northwestern United States: Interactions Among Climate Change, Vegetation Productivity, and Fuel Dynamics

AbstractFire regimes are influenced by both exogenous drivers (e.g., increases in atmospheric CO2and climate change) and endogenous drivers (e.g., vegetation and soil/litter moisture), which constrain fuel loads and fuel aridity. Herein, we identified how exogenous and endogenous drivers can interact to affect fuels and fire regimes in a semiarid watershed in the inland northwestern United States throughout the 21st century. We used a coupled ecohydrologic and fire regime model to examine how climate change and CO2scenarios influence fire regimes. In this semiarid watershed, we found an increase in burned area and burn probability in the mid‐21st century (2040s) as the CO2fertilization effect on vegetation productivity outstripped the effects of climate change‐induced fuel decreases, resulting in greater fuel loading. However, by the late‐21st century (2070s), climatic warming dominated over CO2fertilization, thus reducing fuel loading and burned area. Fire regimes were shown to shift from flammability‐ to fuel‐limited or become increasingly fuel‐limited in response to climate change. We identified a metric to identify when fire regimes shift from flammability‐ to fuel‐limited: the ratio of the change in fuel loading to the change in its aridity. The threshold value for which this metric indicates a flammability versus fuel‐limited regime differed between grasses and woody species but remained stationary over time. Our results suggest that identifying these thresholds in other systems requires narrowing uncertainty in exogenous drivers, such as future precipitation patterns and CO2effects on vegetation.

A robust age model for the Cryogenian Pocatello Formation of southeastern Idaho (northwestern USA) from tandem in situ and isotope dilution U-Pb dating of volcanic tuffs and epiclastic detrital zircons

Abstract Tandem in situ and isotope dilution U-Pb analysis of zircons from pyroclastic volcanic rocks and both glacial and non-glacial sedimentary strata of the Pocatello Formation (Idaho, northwestern USA) provides new age constraints on Cryogenian glaciation in the North American Cordillera. Two dacitic tuffs sampled within glacigenic strata of the lower diamictite interval of the Scout Mountain Member yield high-precision chemical abrasion isotope dilution U-Pb zircon eruption and depositional ages of 696.43 ± 0.21 and 695.17 ± 0.20 Ma. When supplemented by a new high-precision detrital zircon maximum depositional age of ≤670 Ma for shoreface and offshore sandstones unconformably overlying the lower diamictite, these data are consistent with correlation of the lower diamictite to the early Cryogenian (ca. 717–660 Ma) Sturtian glaciation. These 670–675 Ma zircons persist in beds above the upper diamictite and cap dolostone units, up to and including a purported “reworked fallout tuff,” which we instead conclude provides only a maximum depositional age of ≤673 Ma from epiclastic volcanic detritus. Rare detrital zircons as young as 658 Ma provide a maximum depositional age for the upper diamictite and overlying cap dolostone units. This new geochronological framework supports litho- and chemostratigraphic correlations of the lower and upper diamictite intervals of the Scout Mountain Member of the Pocatello Formation with the Sturtian (716–660 Ma) and Marinoan (≤650–635 Ma) low-latitude glaciations, respectively. The Pocatello Formation thus contains a more complete record of Cryogenian glaciations than previously postulated.

Ten-year Douglas-fir regeneration and stand productivity differ among contrasting silvicultural regimes in western Washington, USA

In the Pacific Northwestern USA, concerns regarding impacts of forest harvesting on visual quality, wildlife habitat, and carbon management have prompted evaluations of alternative silvicultural regimes for coast Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii). Research was initiated in 1998 near Olympia WA USA to conduct long-term comparisons among six silvicultural regimes: clearcut (harvest all trees), two age (harvest all except 38 mature trees ha−1), patches (harvest 20% of the area in 0.6–2.0 ha tracts), groups (harvest 20% of the area in 0.1–0.5 ha tracts), thinning (reduce stand density to 45% of the biological maximum for Douglas-fir), and a non-treated control. Harvested areas in the first four regimes were planted with Douglas-fir seedlings. This report focuses on tree regeneration and stand productivity during the first decade of the study. Fifth year height of planted Douglas-fir was greater in the clearcut regime (1.8 m) than in the patches and groups regimes (1.1–1.2 m). Fifth year tree regeneration in the clearcut and two-age regimes was dominated by Douglas-fir (80–86% of seedlings), but regeneration in the patches and groups regimes was composed of a mixture of conifer and hardwood species. Ten-year periodic annual increment (PAI) in Douglas-fir ingrowth volume was greater in the clearcut regime (1.4 m3 ha−1 yr−1) than in the control (0.1 m3 ha−1 yr−1), whereas ingrowth volume PAI of other conifer species was greater in the two-age regime (0.4 m3 ha−1 yr−1) than in the control (0.0 m3 ha−1 yr−1). Tree regeneration responses indicated increasing abundance of shade tolerant species in the non-clearcut regimes, especially western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla). Fifth year cover of the vine, California blackberry (Rubus ursinus), in the clearcut regime (21%) was over four times that in the control (5%). Ground disturbance in the clearcut regime reduced 5th-year height of the shrubs, salal (Gaultheria shallon) and red huckleberry (Vaccinium parvifolium), by 40–50% compared to the control. Ten-year volume PAI of Douglas-fir was linearly related to post-harvest stand basal area (r2 = 0.94), and the relationship did not vary significantly among the three replicate sites. During the first decade of the study, Douglas-fir regeneration and stand productivity differed among silvicultural regimes because of post-harvest variation in stand edge competition, species composition of tree seedlings and ingrowth, and residual stand density.

Bayesian spatio-temporal models for stream networks

Spatio-temporal models are widely used in many research areas including ecology. The recent proliferation of the use of in-situ sensors in streams and rivers supports space-time water quality modelling and monitoring in near real-time. A new family of spatio-temporal models is introduced. These models incorporate spatial dependence using stream distance while temporal autocorrelation is captured using vector autoregression approaches. Several variations of these novel models are proposed using a Bayesian framework. The results show that our proposed models perform well using spatio-temporal data collected from real stream networks, particularly in terms of out-of-sample RMSPE. This is illustrated considering a case study of water temperature data in the northwestern United States.

Disseminated Tele-OSCE During a Pandemic: One University's Experience.

Due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), in-person educational activities were suspended across the globe throughout 2020. In health care education, this required a swift, creative response to maintain the flow of trained clinicians into the workforce without compromising the integrity of core learning outcomes. Early during the pandemic, remote synchronous simulation emerged as a compelling focus of the overall strategy. At one large health sciences university in the northwestern United States, family nurse practitioner faculty worked closely with the Simulation Operations team to plan, deliver, and assess a pilot tele-OSCE (objective structured clinical examination). In postevent debriefs and surveys, both standardized patients and students affirmed that the activity was generally safe, accessible, and high value. With appropriate planning, consensus building, and technology readiness assessment, tele-OSCEs can play a critical role in sustaining the flow of health care students into the workforce during a pandemic. [J Nurs Educ. 2022;61(2):107-110.].

Guns on campus: An autoethnography of “concealed carry” policies

In the United States, school shootings are a common social problem and frequently occur on both K-12 and college campuses. High profile school shootings have resulted in a growing number of state governments legalizing “concealed carry” on college campuses, increasing the presence of guns in classrooms. This research study employs qualitative autoethnography to present the author's experiences teaching on a campus where concealed carry was implemented in 2014. Through autoethnographic narratives, the author describes her lived experiences. This paper analyses these narratives using intersectional feminist theory and situates the narratives within the broader socio-cultural context of gun culture in the Pacific Northwestern USA. The author spent four years immersed in the culture of concealed carry, and has written multiple narratives detailing these experiences. Two narratives are presented in this work. Important findings in this work include examinations of: how the presence of guns in college classrooms shapes power dynamics; the use of fear-based curricula in active-shooter survival trainings; the cultural construction of the “good guy with a gun”; and the implications of the author's positionalities within gun culture. This research study encourages the reader to engage with and learn from the lived experiences of the author.