Use of Fish Telemetry in Rehabilitation Planning, Management, and Monitoring in Areas of Concern in the Laurentian Great Lakes.

Freshwater ecosystems provide many ecosystem services; however, they are often degraded as a result of human activity. To address ecosystem degradation in the Laurentian Great Lakes, Canada and the United States of America established the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA). In 1987, 43 highly polluted and impacted areas were identified under the GLWQA as having one or more of 14 Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs) to the physical and chemical habitat for fish, wildlife and humans, and were designated as Areas of Concern (AOC). Subnational jurisdictions combined with local stakeholders, with support from federal governments, developed plans to remediate and restore these sites. Biotelemetry (the tracking of animals using electronic tags) provides information on the spatial ecology of fish in the wild relevant to habitat management and stock assessment. Here, seven case studies are presented where biotelemetry data were directly incorporated within the AOC Remedial Action Plan (RAP) process. Specific applications include determining seasonal fish-habitat associations to inform habitat restoration plans, identifying the distribution of pollutant-indicator species to identify exposure risk to contamination sources, informing the development of fish passage facilities to enable fish to access fragmented upstream habitats, and assessing fish use of created or restored habitats. With growing capacity for fish biotelemetry research in the Great Lakes, we discuss the strengths and weaknesses of incorporating biotelemetry into AOC RAP processes to improve the science and practice of restoration and to facilitate the delisting of AOCs.

Ontogenetic shifts in morphology and resource use of cisco Coregonus artedi.

Two previously described lacustrine cisco Coregonus spp. morphs [i.e. a small (<300 mm fork length, L(F)), low-gillraker (≤44) morph and a large (≥300 mm L(F) ), high-gillraker (≥45) morph] from Great Slave Lake, NT, Canada, were found to be synonymous with cisco Coregonus artedi. Geometric body shape did not differ between the two size classes nor could they be differentiated by 24 size-corrected linear measurements, indicating that the two groups had similar phenotypes. Strong, positive correlations between all linear characters and geometric centroid size (a composite variable of fish body length, mass and age) suggested that body morphology changed with age as fish grew. Total gillraker number (N(GR)) increased with L(F) according to: N(GR) = 36.3 + 0.034L(F). Differences in gillraker number and phenotype with age and size were explained by shifts in habitat and trophic resource use. Relative abundance within 0-30, 30-60, 60-90 and >90 m depth strata differed between size classes suggesting that morphology changed when fish shifted their habitat as they grew older. Large C. artedi had lower δ(13)C and slightly higher δ(15)N, indicating greater reliance on pelagic prey resources (i.e. more or larger zooplankton, such as Mysis spp.), compared to small C. artedi, which relied slightly more on benthic prey. Gillraker shape and number have always been used as key diagnostic characters in coregonine taxonomy; based on the findings presented here, ontogenetic shifts should be accounted for in resulting classifications.

A comparison of dropouts and disciplinary discharges from a therapeutic community.

Differences between regular dropouts and disciplinary discharges from drug treatment programs have frequently been overlooked in studies on attrition. Data on symptom, mood, attitudes, and social dysfunction were collected from 104 males under treatment for drug abuse at a VA Hospital A 2 x 2 analysis of variance tested for differences between regular dropouts/disciplinary discharges and heroin/nonheroin subjects. Results showed that the heroin dropouts had the most negative attitude toward the Hard Drug User, and the heroin disciplinary discharges tended to be the most dysfunctional.

Minority women's attitudes about aging.

Many factors combine to make middle age a critical period with respect to views about aging. To examine the effects of culture, background, and familial characteristics on attitudes toward old age, 304 middle-aged women from Black, Cuban, American Indian, Chicano, and white cultures were studied. A stepwise multiple regression analysis examined the contribution of each variable in the prediction of attitudes toward old age. Attitude toward death, attitude toward family, and church affiliation were found to be important predictors of attitude toward old age. Thus, clinicians dealing with middle-aged women having negative attitudes or fears about aging and old age in general may need to examine family dynamics as well as views about death and dying for possible problems. Where religion is already an integral part of a client's life, perhaps clinicians could use this orientation for added support.

The physician's role in the cost-containment problem.

The seemingly uncontrolled increase in the cost of medical care is one of the major problems facing the American physician. Although the reasons for escalated costs are multifactorial, the physician does play an important role in the problem. Several studies have suggested that physicians, the cost generators, and unaware of the economic impact of the care they provide. In the preparation of this report, 70 medical students, 316 interns and residents, and 41 faculty members at the University of Miami School of Medicine were surveyed on their knowledge of frequently ordered hospital billing items. A common lack of knowledge was noted in all three groups of respondents, with the faculty scoring as poorly as the medical students. Major efforts must be directed toward the cost education of physicians.

Focus on the family as a factor in differential treatment outcome.

The prognostic relationship between prehospital living arrangements and treatment outcome was explored. Drug (N = 17) and alcohol (N = 19) patients who had lived with parents, wives, nonrelatives, or alone before voluntary admission to an inpatient substance abuse program were compared on changes in social dysfunctioning and symptomatology as a result of treatment. Ratings on each patient's level of dysfunctioning and symptomatology were made following intake into the program and within a 3-day period after receiving a regular discharge. While treatment had a positive effect on all groups, multivariate analysis of covariance showed a significant (P less than .009) differential rate of improvement between the pretreatment residential setting groups. Those who had lived alone or with nonrelatives prior to admission changed the most, becoming significantly less dysfunctional and symptomatic. Those coming from parental families changed the least improvement, while those who had lived with their spouses showed moderate improvement. Findings were consistent for both drug and alcohol patients. Results indicate that the type of home environment from which substance abusers come before engaging in treatment significantly influences their receptivity to rehabilitation. Findings suggest the need for assessment of the family environment and utilization of community resources as a means of enhancing adjustment.

Living arrangements and well being in elderly women.

Psychosocial and health data were obtained from 50 black and 47 white females age 65 and over. The women were divided according to whether they lived alone, with spouse only, or with persons other than (or in addition to) the spouse. Those living alone were found to have lower life satisfaction, lower self-esteem, and higher social dysfunction than those living with spouse or others. No differences were found with respect to depression, somatization, diet, or activity level. There was a significant interaction effect between race and living arrangement with respect to anxiety, with blacks being less anxious than whites when living with others, and more anxious when living alone or with only a spouse.

Cultural factors and attrition in drug abuse treatment.

The present study examined how race related to attrition in drug abuse treatment. 165 male voluntary admissions to an inpatient Substance Abuse Unit were tested at admission on functioning, motivation, attitudes, symptoms, and mood-using reliable and valid scales. One week later they completed a 12-factor scale measuring perception of the treatment milieu. Data were analyzed in a 2 x 2 factorial design of analysis of variance. There were 106 White subjects and 59 Blacks. The dropout rate for Blacks and Whites was 63%. Two factors measured at intake, motivation and social functioning, showed statistically significant interactions between race and attrition. Four ward perception factors showed a differential effect related to race and attrition. The White dropout and completer did not differ in how they perceived the ward. Blacks, however, who perceived the environment as being more insightful, spontaneous, autonomous, and practical remained. Although Blacks and Whites differed on many variables, only six showed race-related differences in attrition. Having higher motivation and poorer adjustment influenced Whites to stay. Factors in the environment, however, influenced Blacks. What might be considered a more "therapeutic" milieu was effective in helping Blacks remain in treatment. Knowledge of these cultural differences could help in designing treatment programs.

The alcoholic's perception of the ward as a predictor of aftercare attendance.

The present study attempted to determine whether attendance in aftercare services could be predicted from the alcoholic's perception of the inpatient ward environment. Thirty-five Ss who completed inpatient treatment and were eligible for outpatient group therapy were followed up 3 months after discharge. One factor of the Ward Atmosphere Scale, autonomy, significantly differentiated attenders (N = 13) from nonattenders (N = 22); attenders perceived more autonomy on the ward than did nonattenders. Two additional factors, aggression and insight, also differentiated the groups, although not to a statistically significant degree. Attenders were found to perceive more encouragement by the staff to express openly their angry feelings and to share their personal selves with others than were nonattenders.