Effects of brownification and warming on algal blooms, metabolism and higher trophic levels in productive shallow lake mesocosms.

An increase of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in inland waters has been reported across the northern temperate region but the effects of this on whole lake ecosystems, often combined with other anthropogenic stressors like nutrient inputs and warming, are poorly known. The effects of these changes on different component of the ecosystem were assessed in an experiment using twenty-four large (3000L) outdoor mesocosms simulating shallow lakes. Two different temperature regimes (ambient and ambient +4 °C) combined with three levels of organic matter (OM, added as filtered peaty water), simulating the DOC increase that is predicted to take place over the next 4 to 21 years were used.

Eye of the storm: analysis of shelter treatment records of evacuees to Acadiana from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Objective: The objective of this study is to gain insight into the medical needs of disaster evacuees, through a review of experiential data collected in evacuation shelters in the days and weeks following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, to better prepare for similar events in the future. Armed with the information and insights provided herein, it is hoped that meaningful precautions and decisive actions can be taken by individuals, families, institutions, communities, and officials should the Louisiana Gulf Coast-or any other area with well-known vulnerabilities-be faced with a future emergency.

Design: Demographic and clinical data that were recorded on paper documents during triage and treatment in evacuation shelters were later transcribed into a computerized database management system, with cooperation of the Department of Health Information Management at The University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

The Health Informatics Center of Acadiana--informing health policymaking in post-Katrina/Rita Louisiana.

A "healthy communities" initiative in Louisiana led to creation of the Health Informatics Center of Acadiana(HICA) at The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, in the south central United States. Since hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Louisiana coast in 2005, HICA's role has taken on heightened significance. HICA identifies vulnerable populations, documents their risk factors, and evaluates interventions intended to improve community health.

Connecting our resources: Louisiana's approach to community health network development.

Louisiana's rural community health systems are in crisis because of pressures fueled by the rising costs of health care, sustained poor health status, state budget shortfalls and changes in priorities, and a sliding rural economy. The development of community health networks is providing new infrastructure and capacity for communities to reprioritize, formulate innovative partnerships, and leverage new resources. Successful elements of Louisiana's network development experience include community commitment to engage in study and action; the availability of capable and motivated technical assistance; an approach that involves open-engagement, community-driven decision-making; and data-driven problem definition, prioritization, and solutions.

Inventing the future of physicians and information technology: methods and results of the 1997 Lafayette Parish Medical Society Information Systems and Information Technology Project.

This paper challenges physicians to consider how to best invent a future in which they can personally leverage emerging information and communication technologies to maximize their effectiveness and efficiency as care givers. One Louisiana State Medical Society component medical society has already posed this challenge to its members. The paper describes the 1997 Lafayette Parish Medical Society Physicians' Information Systems and Information Project, conducted on behalf of the society by faculty of the Healthcare Administration MBA Program at the University of Southwestern Louisiana.