Southwest Michigan Research Articles

104 Implementation of an Emergency Department Quality Improvement Program to Improve Care for Emergency Department Patients With Opioid Use Disorder at Four Southwest Michigan Hospitals

104 Implementation of an Emergency Department Quality Improvement Program to Improve Care for Emergency Department Patients With Opioid Use Disorder at Four Southwest Michigan Hospitals

Strategic land conservation: An applied, multi‐target approach to prioritization of resilient sites for protection

AbstractLand trusts have historically selected many project sites opportunistically, awaiting communication from willing sellers or donors interested in conserving their land. However, in light of the multiple ecological crises faced by land trusts, including climate change, biodiversity loss, and habitat destruction, there is a growing awareness of the need to practice land conservation with an increased pace, scale, and efficacy. In answer to that challenge, we provide one example of how a land trust can adopt methodology for the strategic selection of land protection project sites. Strategic land conservation, as demonstrated in this paper, involves thoughtful prioritization of the attributes of future conservation project sites. Following prioritization, spatial analysis of the region is conducted to identify sites that meet the prioritized attributes, in this case, resilience to climate change. The case study explored in this paper is the 2020 Strategic Land Conservation Plan created by Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy and its partners.

DNA barcoding of terrestrial invasive plant species in Southwest Michigan.

Because of the detrimental effects of terrestrial invasive plant species (TIPS) on native species, ecosystems, public health, and the economy, many countries have been actively looking for strategies to prevent the introduction and minimize the spread of TIPS. Fast and accurate detection of TIPS is essential to achieving these goals. Conventionally, invasive species monitoring has relied on morphological attributes. Recently, DNA-based species identification (i.e., DNA barcoding) has become more attractive. To investigate whether DNA barcoding can aid in the detection and management of TIPS, we visited multiple nature areas in Southwest Michigan and collected a small piece of leaf tissue from 91 representative terrestrial plant species, most of which are invasive. We extracted DNA from the leaf samples, amplified four genomic loci (ITS, rbcL, matK, and trnH-psbA) with PCR, and then purified and sequenced the PCR products. After careful examination of the sequencing data, we were able to identify reliable DNA barcode regions for most species and had an average PCR-and-sequencing success rate of 87.9%. We found that the species discrimination rate of a DNA barcode region is inversely related to the ease of PCR amplification and sequencing. Compared with rbcL and matK, ITS and trnH-psbA have better species discrimination rates (80.6% and 63.2%, respectively). When ITS and trnH-psbA are simultaneously used, the species discrimination rate increases to 97.1%. The high species/genus/family discrimination rates of DNA barcoding indicate that DNA barcoding can be successfully employed in TIPS identification. Further increases in the number of DNA barcode regions show little or no additional increases in the species discrimination rate, suggesting that dual-barcode approaches (e.g., ITS + trnH-psbA) might be the efficient and cost-effective method in DNA-based TIPS identification. Close inspection of nucleotide sequences at the four DNA barcode regions among related species demonstrates that DNA barcoding is especially useful in identifying TIPS that are morphologically similar to other species.

Weed control, soil health, and yield tradeoffs of between-bed management strategies in organic plasticulture vegetable production

Planting a cover crop living mulch between plastic mulch beds in fresh market vegetable production can reduce soil erosion and runoff, and offers an opportunity to grow an income generating cash crop alongside a soil building cover crop. However, potential negative impacts on yield, variable weed control, unclear impacts on soil health, and limited management recommendations challenge adoption of this practice, despite grower interest. In a two-year study in southwest Michigan, living mulches were evaluated in the production of plasticulture organic summer squash (Cucurbita pepo cv. Lioness) and bell pepper (Capsicum annuum cv. Paladin). Strategies evaluated included three common grower practices (cultivation, dead straw mulch, mowing ambient weeds) and three mowed living mulch treatments (Italian ryegrass [Lolium multiflorum] monoculture, rye [Secale cereale] monoculture, and a Dutch white clover [Trifolium repens]/rye mixture). We determined the impact of these strategies on weed control, organic matter inputs, vegetable crop performance, nitrogen retention, and soil microbial communities. We found that cultivation and dead mulch provided superior in-season weed control, reducing weed biomass by an average of 86% compared to 18% among living mulch treatments, with associated reductions in the weed seedbank compared to living mulches and mowed weeds. In most cases, living mulch establishment was a challenge and weed biomass on average accounted for 99, 74, and 94% of organic matter inputs in rye, ryegrass, and clover/rye treatments, respectively. Squash performance was unaffected by our treatments, but pepper yield reductions ranged from 41 to 54% in all treatments relative to cultivation in one of two years. Living mulches and the weedy treatment showed the ability to reduce end-of-season potentially leachable nitrogen by 61% compared to cultivation and dead mulching. Soil microbial abundance and functional diversity were similar across treatments, but extracellular enzyme activity was higher in dead mulch, living mulch and weedy treatments compared to cultivation. Results from this study help quantify tradeoffs between common grower practices for managing weeds and soil between plastic mulch beds, highlight key challenges with living mulch alternatives, and identify areas for future research.

Observations of reduced ET and persistent elevated water table beneath a riparian forest gap following emerald ash borer invasion and tree mortality

AbstractEmerald ash borer (EAB) (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire), an invasive, phloem‐feeding beetle native to Asia, has killed millions of ash (Fraxinus spp.) trees in North America since it was detected in southeast Michigan in 2002. Consistently high mortality of black ash (Fraxinus nigra) and green ash (F. pennsylvanica) which often occur in riparian forests is a concern given their role in regulating soil moisture and shallow groundwater levels. We monitored and compared hydrologic processes in a riparian forest impacted by EAB invasion and an adjacent unimpacted riparian forest site in southwest Michigan. From 2018 to 2022, we recorded soil moisture, depth to groundwater and meteorological variables at 15‐min intervals throughout the growing season in a canopy gap following EAB‐caused ash mortality and in adjacent, unaffected forest in the Augusta Creek riparian zone. Groundwater contributions to evapotranspiration (ETG) were estimated using a groundwater level fluctuation (WLF) method. Significant differences in volumetric soil moisture content (16%–26% higher in the gap than forest), average depth to water (10 cm in the gap vs. 70 cm below land surface in the forest) and mean daily ETG (0.6 in the gap vs. 3.0 mm per day in the forest) persisted across four growing seasons. Within the gap, prolonged saturation of the near surface may be contributing to a shift from a forested riparian ecosystem to herb and sedge‐dominated wetland. These differences have implications for an array of riparian zone ecosystem services, a concern given the extent of ash mortality already sustained in much of eastern North America.

Modeling net ecosystem exchange of CO2 with gated recurrent unit neural networks

The complex forcing mechanisms of biophysical drivers on ecosystem productivity, as well as some unknown relationships, stipulates the application of artificial intelligence techniques in modeling the ecosystem carbon cycle. In particular, various deep learning algorithms have been successfully applied to comprehend temporal relationships, though some issues regarding capturing temporal features for modeling CO2 fluxes across time scales remain unsolved. In this study, a gated recurrent unit (GRU) model was trained for simulating half-hourly net ecosystem exchange of CO2 (NEE) using 12-year continuous flux data (2009–2020) from seven experimental bioenergy crops in southwest Michigan, USA. The fields were historically managed either as corn-soybean rotation agricultural (AGR) or Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands and planted to no-till corn (AGR-C and CRP-C), restored-prairie (AGR-Pr and CPR-Pr), switchgrass (AGR-Sw and CRP-Sw) and smooth brome grass (CRP-Ref). We compared NEE simulations for the entire year, growing season, and non-growing season datasets, and analyzed relative importance of biophysical variables on variations of NEE. GRU performed well in simulating NEE at single site, with R2 of 0.89–0.93, 0.85–0.90, and 0.61–0.85 for the annual, growing season, and non-growing season datasets, respectively, which provided comparable accuracy and 6 % of run-time shorter than those of long short-term memory. R2 reached 0.70 and 0.80 across all sites and unique land-cover types. Radiation parameters contributed most to the variability of NEE. Contributions of individual variables appear more complex during the non-growing season and include incoming shortwave radiation, day of year, temperature, Monin-Obukhov stability, wind direction, and soil water content. The six most important forcing variables are consistent with our current understanding, although their ranked importance varied by ecosystem type and modeling scale. These results bring renewed insights in modeling observations at seasonal scales and provide guidance for variable selection to scale up measurements from one site to multiple land-cover types across the landscape.

Abstract 4799: Hidden epidemics: The gender divide in HCV and cancer screenings among the unhoused

Abstract Background & Methodology: In the United States, the unhoused population experiences disproportionately higher rates of cancer incidence and mortality—double that of the general populace. Despite these startling statistics, there is a notable dearth of research on this topic within medical literature. Our medical student-led pilot study aimed to bridge this knowledge gap by evaluating the uptake of cancer screenings and identifying the barriers faced by the unhoused in Southwest Michigan. Our objective was to enhance the understanding of cancer care disparities and identify factors that hinder access to cancer screenings for this marginalized group. Utilizing questionnaires distributed in homeless shelters, we collected data on the prevalence and impediments to screenings for hepatitis C virus (HCV), and lung, breast, colon, and cervical cancers in a local community. Results: The study encompassed 143 participants, revealing that women reported a shorter median duration of homelessness (5 months) than men (18 months). The primary barriers to cancer screening were access to services and lack of awareness, rather than insurance coverage. Gender disparities were evident in HCV screening, with an overall rate of 55%; however, willingness to screen was higher among women (83%) compared to men (49%). Colon cancer screening showed no significant gender disparity, standing at 45% uptake. The prevalence of smoking was high at 78%, yet a higher proportion of men were amenable to lung cancer screening. Interestingly, Pap smear uptake surpassed national averages, while mammogram rates were below expected at 40%. Discussion & Conclusion: While the discrepancies between genders may not be immediately apparent, our data shows that developing targeted interventions and tailoring the delivery of adequate cancer screenings to the unhoused require consideration of gender as a key factor. Women’s perceived barriers differ slightly from men’s, and generally-speaking, they undergo more cancer screenings per year compared with men. The reluctance among male participants to engage in HCV screening has been observed in other studies as well and as our study demonstrates, it may be related to informational barriers. Although preliminary, our findings shed light on the critical health care issues faced by the unhoused and serves as a steppingstone towards improving our understanding on their challenges in hopes of improving their health outcomes. Comprehensive research is imperative to unravel the complex causes of these gender-based discrepancies. In the interim, the implementation of a navigator social worker system could prove beneficial in facilitating the unhoused with the logistics of screening processes, overcoming transportation hurdles, and reinforcing the importance of ongoing health management. Citation Format: Talal Al-Assil, Claire Kalina, Madison Laird, Nataly Dawood, Raven Riordan, Neya Suresh Kumar, Ryan Olivier, Cheryl Dickson, Gitonga Munene. Hidden epidemics: The gender divide in HCV and cancer screenings among the unhoused [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 4799.

1341. Clinico-demographic Features and Mortality of COVID-19 Patients in Southwest Michigan

Abstract Background Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to May 2023, Michigan has had over 3 million confirmed or probable disease cases, with nearly 43 thousand deaths. Southwestern Michigan was significantly impacted and contributed to a high burden of the disease in the state. Our study objectives were to describe mortality rates and some of the demographic and clinical characteristics of COVID-19 in this area. Methods This is a retrospective cohort analysis in one community hospital in Kalamazoo County, Southwestern Michigan, United States. Institutional Review Board approval was obtained. Data was extracted from electronic medical records (EMR). Patients admitted to the hospital from March 2020 to December 2022 with a positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for SARS-CoV-2 were included. Pregnant patients and those less than 18 years of age were excluded. Results A total of 426 patients were included in this study, mainly males. The median age of hospitalization was 65 years. The most prevalent co-morbidities were type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and coronary artery disease. The median length of hospital stay was ten days. 139 (32,6%) individuals died, the majority of whom were men aged between 50 and 80. At the same time, we noted higher death rates among American Indian or Alaskan Native individuals and Black or African American patients. Review Figures 1 and 2 for further details. Conclusion A high absolute number of deaths among Whites or Caucasians was noted, likely related to local demographics where most of the population self-identifies as so. They were the most prevalent group of hospitalized individuals in our cohort. All four American Indian and Alaskan Native individuals included in the results died. Like national and state data, Black or African Americans and Hispanic/Latinos had a higher death rate than Whites. Variables such as co-morbidities, length of stay, and need for mechanical ventilation within these groups were not considered when calculating such rates. A 32,6% percent of deaths in our cohort is more elevated than local and worldwide statistics. However, this is a small study with several confounding factors that lacked calculation of statistical significance. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

A Cluster of Ocular Syphilis Cases with a Common Sex Partner - Southwest Michigan, 2022.

Untreated syphilis can lead to ocular syphilis, otosyphilis, and neurosyphilis, conditions resulting from Treponema pallidum infection of the eye, inner ear, or central nervous system. During March-July 2022, Michigan public health officials identified a cluster of ocular syphilis cases. The public health response included case investigation, partner notification, dissemination of health alerts, patient referral to a public health clinic for diagnosis and treatment, hospital care coordination, and specimen collection for T. pallidum molecular typing. Five cases occurred among southwest Michigan women, all of whom had the same male sex partner. The women were aged 40-60 years, HIV-negative, and identified as non-Hispanic White race; the disease was staged as early syphilis, and all patients were hospitalized and treated with intravenous penicillin. The common male sex partner was determined to have early latent syphilis and never developed ocular syphilis. No additional transmission was identified after the common male partner's treatment. Due to lack of genetic material in limited specimens, syphilis molecular typing was not possible. A common heterosexual partner in an ocular syphilis cluster has not been previously documented and suggests that an unidentified strain of T. pallidum might have been associated with increased risk for systemic manifestations of syphilis. A high index of clinical suspicion and thorough sexual history are critical to diagnosing ocular syphilis, otosyphilis, and neurosyphilis. Coordination of disease surveillance with disease intervention specialist investigation and treatment referral can interrupt syphilis transmission.

Reducing cluster rots in Michigan wine grapes using combined pathogen and vinegar fly control

Cluster rots pose a significant threat to the wine grape industry, leading to substantial economic losses. This study aimed to determine the performance of multiple treatments targeting cluster rot pathogens and their insect vectors over three years in southwest Michigan. Grape clusters were rated for disease incidence and severity, insects were collected and identified, and pesticide residues were measured on harvested clusters. In 2020, disease incidence decreased significantly when BLAD was applied in combination with the insecticides spinetoram, imidacloprid with beta-cyfluthrin, or zeta-cypermethrin. Similarly, in 2021, clusters treated with cyprodinil plus fludioxonil mixed with insecticides cyclaniliprole, spinosad, zeta-cypermethrin, or imidacloprid plus beta-cyfluthrin significantly reduced disease incidence compared to fungicide alone. Notably, in 2022, treating clusters solely with an insecticide significantly lowered disease incidence compared to treating with only a fungicide. Disease incidence and severity were positively correlated with the number of Drosophila larvae or the adults emerging from clusters collected in the trial. The relationship between disease and insect incidence were significant in 2021 and 2022, highlighting the importance of controlling insect vectors to manage rots. Through chemical residue testing, we identified pesticide programs that resulted in lower pesticide residues on the grapes. Programs that incorporate organic insecticides or sterilants had statistically lower residues than programs with conventional products. Our findings highlight the effectiveness of incorporating insecticides into late-season IPM programs for reducing cluster rots in wine grapes as managing insect vectors mitigate the impact of cluster rots on grape production.

Climate cooling benefits of cellulosic bioenergy crops from elevated albedo

AbstractChanges in land surface albedo can alter ecosystem energy balance and potentially influence climate. We examined the albedo of six bioenergy cropping systems in southwest Michigan USA: monocultures of energy sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), and giant miscanthus (Miscanthus × giganteus), and polycultures of native grasses, early successional vegetation, and restored prairie. Direct field measurements of surface albedo (αs) from May 2018 through December 2020 at half‐hourly intervals in each system quantified the magnitudes and seasonal differences in albedo (∆α) and albedo‐induced radiative forcing (RF∆α). We used a nearby forest as a historical native cover type to estimate reference albedo and RF∆α change upon original land use conversion, and a continuous no‐till maize (Zea mays L.) system as a contemporary reference to estimate change upon conversion from annual row crops. Annually, αs differed significantly (p < 0.05) among crops in the order: early successional (0.288 ± 0.012SE) >> miscanthus (0.271 ± 0.009) ≈ energy sorghum (0.270 ± 0.010) ≥ switchgrass (0.265 ± 0.009) ≈ restored prairie (0.264 ± 0.012) > native grasses (0.259 ± 0.010) > maize (0.247 ± 0.010). Reference forest had the lowest annual αs (0.134 ± 0.003). Albedo differences among crops during the growing season were also statistically significant, with growing season αs in perennial crops and energy sorghum on average ~20% higher (0.206 ± 0.003) than in no‐till maize (0.184 ± 0.002). Average non‐growing season (NGS) αs (0.370 ± 0.020) was much higher than growing season αs (0.203 ± 0.003) but these NGS differences were not significant. Overall, the original conversion of reference forest and maize landscapes to perennials provided a cooling effect on the local climate (RFαMAIZE: −3.83 ± 1.00 W m−2; RFαFOREST: −16.75 ± 3.01 W m−2). Significant differences among cropping systems suggest an additional management intervention for maximizing the positive climate benefit of bioenergy crops, with cellulosic crops on average ~9.1% more reflective than no‐till maize, which itself was about twice as reflective as the reference forest.

Susceptibility of grape berry moth, Paralobesia viteana (Clemens) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) to insecticides in Michigan vineyards

AbstractGrape berry moth is a major pest of vineyards across eastern North America. Increasing infestations in Michigan commercial vineyards under active pest management have raised concerns about insecticide resistance in this species. We tested the susceptibility of male moths of this pest from 5 vineyards in southwestern Michigan over 2 years using a range of concentrations, followed by probit analysis of the resulting mortality data. In 2021 and 2022, topical applications of phosmet and zeta‐cypermethrin were applied to moths collected from each vineyard, and the LC50, LC90 and LC99 values were calculated for each population. The LC50 values were similar among sites, whereas the LC99 values for phosmet were highly variable across years, with sensitivity 2.78 times higher in 2022 than 2021 at Farm 2 and 61.66‐fold higher in 2021 at Farm 3. Sensitivity to zeta‐cypermethrin was generally similar between years at the LC50 level, but it was variable at the LC99, with two sites showing lower sensitivity in 2022 compared to 2021 and three farms with an increased sensitivity in 2022. The response to carbaryl was similar for Farm 3 across both years. However, in 2022 the LC50, LC90 and LC99 values in Farm 3 were 2.34, 6.33 and 14.29‐fold, respectively, higher compared to those in Farm 5. In conclusion, our results show that sensitivity to insecticides in grape berry moth populations in southwest Michigan vineyards is highly variable between different farms and across years. These results highlight the need for continued monitoring of sensitivity to insecticides in this species, and development and implementation of alternative control strategies in vineyards to maintain pest susceptibility to insecticides.

Clinical Characteristics of the 2019 Eastern Equine Encephalitis Outbreak in Michigan.

Eastern equine encephalitis virus is a mosquito-borne alphavirus responsible for unpredictable outbreaks of severe neurologic disease in animals and humans. While most human infections are asymptomatic or clinically nonspecific, a minority of patients develops encephalitic disease, a devastating illness with a mortality rate of ≥30%. No treatments are known to be effective. Eastern equine encephalitis virus infection is rare in the United States, with an annual average nationwide incidence of 7 cases between 2009 and 2018. However, in 2019, 38 cases were confirmed nationwide, including 10 in Michigan. Data from 8 cases identified by a regional network of physicians in southwest Michigan were abstracted from clinical records. Clinical imaging and histopathology were aggregated and reviewed. Patients were predominantly older adults (median age, 64 years), and all were male. Results of initial arboviral cerebrospinal fluid serology were frequently negative, and diagnosis was not made until a median of 24.5 days (range, 13-38 days) after presentation, despite prompt lumbar punctures in all patients. Imaging findings were dynamic and heterogeneous, with abnormalities of the thalamus and/or basal ganglia, and prominent pons and midbrain abnormalities were displayed in 1 patient. Six patients died, 1 survived the acute illness with severe neurologic sequelae, and 1 recovered with mild sequelae. A limited postmortem examination revealed diffuse meningoencephalitis, neuronophagia, and focal vascular necrosis. Eastern equine encephalitis is a frequently fatal condition whose diagnosis is often delayed, and for which no effective treatments are known. Improved diagnostics are needed to facilitate patient care and encourage the development of treatments.

Ant and plant diversity respond differently to seed‐based prairie restoration

Recovering biodiversity is a common goal of restoration, yet outcomes for animal communities are highly variable. A major reason for this variability may be that active restoration efforts typically target plant communities, with the assumption that animal communities will passively recover in turn. However, this assumption remains largely unvalidated experimentally making it unclear how plant‐focused restoration strategies influence animal communities. We evaluated how the diversity of seed mixes used to restore tallgrass prairies (a common plant‐focused technique) influenced the recovery of ant community diversity and composition. Our study took place within a large‐scale restoration experiment in southwest Michigan, where 12 former agricultural fields are being restored to tallgrass prairie by sowing seeds of prairie plant species native to our region. Half of each field was seeded with 12 prairie species and the other half with 72 prairie species. Sites restored with high diversity seed mixes increased plant species richness, but did not consistently influence ant richness or community composition. Instead, ant species richness and composition were related to an interaction between realized plant species richness (which was only partly structured by seeding treatments) and environmental structure. Specifically, ant richness increased more with higher realized plant richness when vegetation cover was lower and soil‐surface temperatures were higher. Our findings illustrate how plant and animal communities can respond differently to plant‐focused restoration efforts. Despite this, plant community restoration can structure animal community responses, in concert with environmental factors. Layering additional restoration strategies onto existing plant‐focused approaches may further benefit biodiversity across taxa.

Descriptive Data on Trends Among Patients Hospitalized With Lyme Disease in Southwest Michigan, 2017-2021.

This retrospective chart review identifies hospitalizations for Lyme disease at two southwest Michigan hospital systems, 2017-2021. Lyme admissions increased sharply, while admissions for Lyme carditis and neuroborreliosis increased in parallel. Southwest Michigan is becoming an endemic area for Lyme disease.

Sensitive Measures of Soil Health Reveal Carbon Stability Across a Management Intensity and Plant Biodiversity Gradient

Soil carbon (C) is a major driver of soil health, yet little is known regarding how sensitive measures of soil C shift temporally within a single growing season in response to short-term weather perturbations. Our study aimed to i) Examine how long-term management impacts soil C cycling and stability across a management intensity and plant biodiversity gradient and ii) Assess how sensitive soil health indicators change temporally over the course of a single growing season in response to recent weather patterns. Here we quantify a variety of sensitive soil C measures at four time points across the 2021 growing season at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station’s Long Term Ecological Research Trial (LTER) located in southwest Michigan, USA. The eight systems sampled included four annual soybean (Glycine max) systems that ranged in management intensity (conventional, no-till, reduced input, and biologically-based), two perennial biofuel cropping systems (switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) and hybrid poplars (Populus nigra x P.maximowiczii)), and two unmanaged systems (early successional system and a mown but never tilled grassland). We found that unmanaged systems with increased perenniality enhanced mineralizable C (Min C) and permanganate oxidizable C (POXC) values. Additionally, all soil health indicators were found to be sensitive to changes in short-term weather perturbations over the course of the growing season. The implications of this study are threefold. First, this study assess indicators of labile and stable C pools over the course of the growing season and reflects the stability of soil C in different systems. Second, POXC, Min C, and ß-glucosidase (GLU) activity are sensitive soil health indicators that fluctuate temporally, which means that these soil health indicators could help elucidate the impact that weather patterns have on soil C dynamics. Lastly, for effective monitoring of soil C, sampling time and frequency should be considered for a comprehensive understanding of soil C cycling within a system.

Research on spring frost damage in cherries

A frost occurred in spring following high temperatures in Michigan in 2007. It caused important crop losses. In this study, the damage the frost had on the flower buds of some cherry cultivars on ‘Gisela 5’ at the Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center (SWMREC) and different cherry scion/rootstock combinations at the Clarksville Horticultural Experiment Station (CHES) were determined. In cherries, the frost damage at SWMREC varied from 26.7% to 99.3% depending on the cherry cultivar while it varied from 41.9 to 99.3% at CHES depending on the cherry combinations. ‘Rainier/Gisela 6’ at CHES and ‘NY119’ at SWMREC were promising. The bud development stage during the freeze, the cultivar, the rootstock, the ages of the trees and the low temperature level were effective in the spring frost resistance.

Pesticide risk to managed bees during blueberry pollination is primarily driven by off-farm exposures

When managed bee colonies are brought to farms for crop pollination, they can be exposed to pesticide residues. Quantifying the risk posed by these exposures can indicate which pesticides are of the greatest concern and helps focus efforts to reduce the most harmful exposures. To estimate the risk from pesticides to bees while they are pollinating blueberry fields, we sampled blueberry flowers, foraging bees, pollen collected by returning honey bee and bumble bee foragers at colonies, and wax from honey bee hives in blooming blueberry farms in southwest Michigan. We screened the samples for 261 active ingredients using a modified QuEChERS method. The most abundant pesticides were those applied by blueberry growers during blueberry bloom (e.g., fenbuconazole and methoxyfenozide). However, we also detected highly toxic pesticides not used in this crop during bloom (or other times of the season) including the insecticides chlorpyrifos, clothianidin, avermectin, thiamethoxam, and imidacloprid. Using LD50 values for contact and oral exposure to honey bees and bumble bees, we calculated the Risk Quotient (RQ) for each individual pesticide and the average sample RQ for each farm. RQ values were considered in relation to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency acute contact level of concern (LOC, 0.4), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) acute contact LOC (0.2) and the EFSA chronic oral LOC (0.03). Pollen samples were most likely to exceed LOC values, with the percent of samples above EFSA’s chronic oral LOC being 0% for flowers, 3.4% for whole honey bees, 0% for whole bumble bees, 72.4% for honey bee pollen in 2018, 45.4% of honey bee pollen in 2019, 46.7% of bumble bee pollen in 2019, and 3.5% of honey bee wax samples. Average pollen sample RQ values were above the EFSA chronic LOC in 92.9% of farms in 2018 and 42.9% of farms in 2019 for honey bee collected pollen, and 46.7% of farms for bumble bee collected pollen in 2019. Landscape analyses indicated that sample RQ was positively correlated with the abundance of apple and cherry orchards located within the flight range of the bees, though this varied between bee species and landscape scale. There was no correlation with abundance of blueberry production. Our results highlight the need to mitigate pesticide risk to bees across agricultural landscapes, in addition to focusing on the impact of applications on the farms where they are applied.

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Access to Mental Health Services for African and Arab American Youth: An Audit Study

ABSTRACT Racial disparities exist in the quality of and access to mental health services for people of color. Provider bias has been found to avert African American adults from accessing services. However, it is unknown whether provider bias affects service access for African and Arab American youth. Moreover, little is known about the role of client gender and community variables such as urbanicity (i.e., urban versus non-urban) in access to care for youth. Audit methodology examined whether client race/ethnicity and gender predicted providers’ responses to help-seeking messages in an urban and non-urban area of Michigan. Voice actresses created audio recordings portraying a White, African American, or Arab American mother requesting a therapy appointment for her adolescent. Recordings were left on providers’ voicemails in Metro Detroit and Southwest Michigan. Data were collected on whether the providers: (i) called back, and (ii) initiated or denied services. The effect of client characteristics on the odds of a provider calling back differed by location. In the non-urban location, White clients had a 3.4–3.8 times greater odds of receiving a callback than the African and Arab American clients. Additionally, in the urban location, female clients had a 2 times greater odds of receiving a callback than the male clients. Findings from this study suggest that provider bias limited access to mental health services for African and Arab American adolescents in the non-urban location, highlighting the need for strategies to address disparities in access to mental health services for youth of color.

Climatology of Lake-Effect Snow Days Along the Southern Shore of Lake Michigan: What Is the Sensitivity to Environmental Factors and Snowband Morphology?

The Laurentian Great Lakes have substantial influences on regional climatology, particularly with impactful lake-effect snow events. This study examines the snowfall, cloud-inferred snow band morphology, and environment of lake-effect snow days along the southern shore of Lake Michigan for the 1997–2017 period. Suitable days for study were identified based on the presence of lake-effect clouds assessed in a previous study and extended through 2017, combined with an independent classification of likely lake-effect snow days based on independent snowfall data and weather map assessments. The primary goals are to identify lake-effect snow days and evaluate the snowfall distribution and modes of variability, the sensitivity to thermodynamic and flow characteristics within the upstream sounding at Green Bay, WI, and the influences of snowband morphology. Over 300 lake-effect days are identified during the study period, with peak mean snowfall within the lake belt extending from southwest Michigan to northern Indiana. Although multiple lake-effect morphological types are often observed on the same day, the most common snow band morphology is wind parallel bands. Relative to days with wind parallel bands, the shoreline band morphology is more common with a reduced lower-tropospheric zonal wind component within the upstream sounding at Green Bay, WI, as well as higher sea-level pressure and 500-hPa geopotential height anomalies to the north of the Great Lakes. Snowfall is sensitive to band morphology, with higher snowfall for shoreline band structures than for wind parallel bands, especially due south of Lake Michigan. Snowfall is also sensitive to thermodynamic and flow properties, with a greater sensitivity to temperature in southwest Michigan and to flow properties in northwest Indiana.