Potential Bias in the Bank: What Distinguishes Refusers, Non-responders and Participants in a Clinic-based Biobank?

PubMed Central

Ridgeway, Jennifer L; Han, Leona C; Olson, Janet E; Lackore, Kandace A; Koenig, Barbara A; Beebe, Timothy J; Ziegenfuss, Jeanette Y

2013-01-01

Background Biobanks are an important resource for genetic and epidemiologic research, but bias may be introduced if those who accept the recruitment invitation differ systematically from those who do not in attributes important to health-related investigations. To understand potential bias in a clinic-based biobank of biological samples, including genetic data linked to Electronic Medical Record information, we compared patient characteristics and self-reported information among participants, non-responders, and refusers. We also compared reasons for non-participation between refusers and non-responders to elucidate potential pathways to reduce non-participation and any uncovered bias. Methods We mailed recruitment packets to 1600 adult patients with upcoming appointments at Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN) and recorded their participation status. Administrative data were used to compare characteristics across groups. We used phone interviews with 26 non-responders and 26 refusers to collect self-reported information, including reasons for non-participation. Participants were asked to complete a mailed questionnaire. Results We achieved 26.2% participation (n=419) with 12.1% refusing (n=193) and 61.8% non-response (n=988). In multivariate analyses, sex, age, region of residence, and race/ethnicity were significantly associated with participation. The groups differed in information-seeking behaviors and research experience. Refusers more often cited privacy concerns while non-responders more often identified time constraints as the reason for non-participation. Conclusion For genomic medicine to advance, large, representative biobanks are required. Significant associations between patient characteristics and nonresponse, as well as systematic differences between refusers and nonresponders, could introduce bias. Oversampling or recruitment changes, including heightened attention to privacy protection and participation burden, may be necessary to increase participation

Exceptional responders in conservation.

PubMed

Post, Gerald; Geldmann, Jonas

2017-08-30

Conservation operates within complex systems with incomplete knowledge of the system and the interventions utilized. This frequently results in the inability to find generally applicable methods to alleviate threats to Earth's vanishing wildlife. One approach used in medicine and the social sciences has been to develop a deeper understanding of positive outliers. Where such outliers share similar characteristics, they may be considered exceptional responders. We devised a 4-step framework for identifying exceptional responders in conservation: identification of the study system, identification of the response structure, identification of the threshold for exceptionalism, and identification of commonalities among outliers. Evaluation of exceptional responders provides additional information that is often ignored in randomized controlled trials and before-after control-intervention experiments. Interrogating the contextual factors that contribute to an exceptional outcome allow exceptional responders to become valuable pieces of information leading to unexpected discoveries and novel hypotheses. © 2017 Society for Conservation Biology.

Responder Technology Alert (February 2015)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Upton, Jaki F.; Stein, Steven L.

2015-04-10

As part of technology foraging for the Responder Technology Alliance, established by the Department of Homeland Science and Technologies First Responders Group, this report summarizes technologies that are relevant in the area of “wearables,” with the potential for use by first responders. The content was collected over the previous month(s) and reproduced from a general Internet search using the term wearables. Additional information is available at the websites provided. This report is not meant to be an exhaustive list nor an endorsement of any technology described herein. Rather, it is meant to provide useful information about current developments in themore » areas wearable technology.« less

The Whiteley Index-6: An Examination of Measurement Invariance Among Self-Identifying Black, Latino, and White Respondents in Primary Care.

PubMed

Fergus, Thomas A; Kelley, Lance P; Griggs, Jackson O

2018-03-01

Brief measures that are comparable across disparate groups are particularly likely to be useful in primary care settings. Prior research has supported a six-item short form of the Whiteley Index (WI), a commonly used measure of health anxiety, among English-speaking respondents. This study examined the measurement invariance of the WI-6 among Black ( n = 183), Latino ( n = 173), and White ( n = 177) respondents seeking treatment at a U.S. community health center. Results supported a bifactor model of the WI-6 among the composite sample ( N = 533), suggesting the presence of a general factor and two domain-specific factors. Results supported the incremental validity of one of the domain-specific factors in accounting for unique variance in somatic symptom severity scores beyond the general factor. Multiple-groups confirmatory factor analysis supported the configural, metric, ands scalar invariance of the bifactor WI-6 model across the three groups of respondents. Results provide support for the measurement invariance of the WI-6 among Black, Latino, and White respondents. The potential use of the WI-6 in primary care, and broader, settings is discussed.

Intervenable factors associated with suicide risk in transgender persons: a respondent driven sampling study in Ontario, Canada.

PubMed

Bauer, Greta R; Scheim, Ayden I; Pyne, Jake; Travers, Robb; Hammond, Rebecca

2015-06-02

Across Europe, Canada, and the United States, 22-43 % of transgender (trans) people report a history of suicide attempts. We aimed to identify intervenable factors (related to social inclusion, transphobia, or sex/gender transition) associated with reduced risk of past-year suicide ideation or attempt, and to quantify the potential population health impact. The Trans PULSE respondent-driven sampling (RDS) survey collected data from trans people age 16+ in Ontario, Canada, including 380 who reported on suicide outcomes. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression models were weighted using RDS II methods. Counterfactual risk ratios and population attributable risks were estimated using model-standardized risks. Among trans Ontarians, 35.1 % (95 % CI: 27.6, 42.5) seriously considered, and 11.2 % (95 % CI: 6.0, 16.4) attempted, suicide in the past year. Social support, reduced transphobia, and having any personal identification documents changed to an appropriate sex designation were associated with large relative and absolute reductions in suicide risk, as was completing a medical transition through hormones and/or surgeries (when needed). Parental support for gender identity was associated with reduced ideation. Lower self-reported transphobia (10(th) versus 90(th) percentile) was associated with a 66 % reduction in ideation (RR = 0.34, 95 % CI: 0.17, 0.67), and an additional 76 % reduction in attempts among those with ideation (RR = 0.24; 95 % CI: 0.07, 0.82). This corresponds to potential prevention of 160 ideations per 1000 trans persons, and 200 attempts per 1,000 with ideation, based on a hypothetical reduction of transphobia from current levels to the 10(th) percentile. Large effect sizes were observed for this controlled analysis of intervenable factors, suggesting that interventions to increase social inclusion and access to medical transition, and to reduce transphobia, have the potential to contribute to substantial reductions in the

18 CFR 1301.55 - Responding to demands.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... information to be withheld. (c) Factors to be considered in determining whether requested testimony or records... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Responding to demands... Proceedings § 1301.55 Responding to demands. Generally, authorization to provide the requested material or...

Factors associated with HIV infection among a respondent-driven sample of men who have sex with men in Salvador, Brazil.

PubMed

Brignol, Sandra; Kerr, Ligia; Amorim, Leila Denise; Dourado, Inês

2016-01-01

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) continues to disproportionately affect men who have sex with men (MSM); therefore, we investigated the sociodemographic, biological, and sexual behavioral risk factors associated with HIV infection in the city of Salvador, Bahia. This study is part of the national survey Behavior, Attitudes, Practices and Prevalence of HIV and Syphilis among men who have sex with men in 10 Brazilian Cities, which is a cross-sectional survey whose participants were selected by means of the respondent-driven sampling. Exact logistic regression analysis was used to measure the association of potential risk factors with HIV infection due to an HIV prevalence lower than 10% and a small sample size (383). The prevalence of HIV was 6.3% (95%CI 3.9-8.8) and the risk factors associated with HIV infection in our adjusted final model included having never been tested for syphilis (OR = 3.1; 95%CI 1.3 - 7.3) and having more than eight sexual partners (OR = 3.3; 95%CI 1.4 - 8.1). This study highlights the high prevalence of HIV among MSM in the sample compared with the general population and confirms the importance of testing for syphilis in the context of the HIV epidemic as early detection may provide opportunities to prevent sexually transmitted diseases.

Evaluation of respondent-driven sampling.

PubMed

McCreesh, Nicky; Frost, Simon D W; Seeley, Janet; Katongole, Joseph; Tarsh, Matilda N; Ndunguse, Richard; Jichi, Fatima; Lunel, Natasha L; Maher, Dermot; Johnston, Lisa G; Sonnenberg, Pam; Copas, Andrew J; Hayes, Richard J; White, Richard G

2012-01-01

Respondent-driven sampling is a novel variant of link-tracing sampling for estimating the characteristics of hard-to-reach groups, such as HIV prevalence in sex workers. Despite its use by leading health organizations, the performance of this method in realistic situations is still largely unknown. We evaluated respondent-driven sampling by comparing estimates from a respondent-driven sampling survey with total population data. Total population data on age, tribe, religion, socioeconomic status, sexual activity, and HIV status were available on a population of 2402 male household heads from an open cohort in rural Uganda. A respondent-driven sampling (RDS) survey was carried out in this population, using current methods of sampling (RDS sample) and statistical inference (RDS estimates). Analyses were carried out for the full RDS sample and then repeated for the first 250 recruits (small sample). We recruited 927 household heads. Full and small RDS samples were largely representative of the total population, but both samples underrepresented men who were younger, of higher socioeconomic status, and with unknown sexual activity and HIV status. Respondent-driven sampling statistical inference methods failed to reduce these biases. Only 31%-37% (depending on method and sample size) of RDS estimates were closer to the true population proportions than the RDS sample proportions. Only 50%-74% of respondent-driven sampling bootstrap 95% confidence intervals included the population proportion. Respondent-driven sampling produced a generally representative sample of this well-connected nonhidden population. However, current respondent-driven sampling inference methods failed to reduce bias when it occurred. Whether the data required to remove bias and measure precision can be collected in a respondent-driven sampling survey is unresolved. Respondent-driven sampling should be regarded as a (potentially superior) form of convenience sampling method, and caution is required

Evaluation of Respondent-Driven Sampling

PubMed Central

McCreesh, Nicky; Frost, Simon; Seeley, Janet; Katongole, Joseph; Tarsh, Matilda Ndagire; Ndunguse, Richard; Jichi, Fatima; Lunel, Natasha L; Maher, Dermot; Johnston, Lisa G; Sonnenberg, Pam; Copas, Andrew J; Hayes, Richard J; White, Richard G

2012-01-01

Background Respondent-driven sampling is a novel variant of link-tracing sampling for estimating the characteristics of hard-to-reach groups, such as HIV prevalence in sex-workers. Despite its use by leading health organizations, the performance of this method in realistic situations is still largely unknown. We evaluated respondent-driven sampling by comparing estimates from a respondent-driven sampling survey with total-population data. Methods Total-population data on age, tribe, religion, socioeconomic status, sexual activity and HIV status were available on a population of 2402 male household-heads from an open cohort in rural Uganda. A respondent-driven sampling (RDS) survey was carried out in this population, employing current methods of sampling (RDS sample) and statistical inference (RDS estimates). Analyses were carried out for the full RDS sample and then repeated for the first 250 recruits (small sample). Results We recruited 927 household-heads. Full and small RDS samples were largely representative of the total population, but both samples under-represented men who were younger, of higher socioeconomic status, and with unknown sexual activity and HIV status. Respondent-driven-sampling statistical-inference methods failed to reduce these biases. Only 31%-37% (depending on method and sample size) of RDS estimates were closer to the true population proportions than the RDS sample proportions. Only 50%-74% of respondent-driven-sampling bootstrap 95% confidence intervals included the population proportion. Conclusions Respondent-driven sampling produced a generally representative sample of this well-connected non-hidden population. However, current respondent-driven-sampling inference methods failed to reduce bias when it occurred. Whether the data required to remove bias and measure precision can be collected in a respondent-driven sampling survey is unresolved. Respondent-driven sampling should be regarded as a (potentially superior) form of convenience

In the Blink of an Eye: Investigating the Role of Awareness in Fear Responding by Measuring the Latency of Startle Potentiation

PubMed Central

Åsli, Ole; Flaten, Magne A.

2012-01-01

The latency of startle reflex potentiation may shed light on the aware and unaware processes underlying associative learning, especially associative fear learning. We review research suggesting that single-cue delay classical conditioning is independent of awareness of the contingency between the conditioned stimulus (CS) and the unconditioned stimulus (US). Moreover, we discuss research that argues that conditioning independent of awareness has not been proven. Subsequently, three studies from our lab are presented that have investigated the role of awareness in classical conditioning, by measuring the minimum latency from CS onset to observed changes in reflexive behavior. In sum, research using this method shows that startle is potentiated 30 to 100 ms after CS onset following delay conditioning. Following trace fear conditioning, startle is potentiated 1500 ms after CS presentation. These results indicate that the process underlying delay conditioned responding is independent of awareness, and that trace fear conditioned responding is dependent on awareness. Finally, this method of investigating the role of awareness is discussed and future research possibilities are proposed. PMID:24962686

A General Definition of the Heritable Variation That Determines the Potential of a Population to Respond to Selection

PubMed Central

Bijma, Piter

2011-01-01

Genetic selection is a major force shaping life on earth. In classical genetic theory, response to selection is the product of the strength of selection and the additive genetic variance in a trait. The additive genetic variance reflects a population’s intrinsic potential to respond to selection. The ordinary additive genetic variance, however, ignores the social organization of life. With social interactions among individuals, individual trait values may depend on genes in others, a phenomenon known as indirect genetic effects. Models accounting for indirect genetic effects, however, lack a general definition of heritable variation. Here I propose a general definition of the heritable variation that determines the potential of a population to respond to selection. This generalizes the concept of heritable variance to any inheritance model and level of organization. The result shows that heritable variance determining potential response to selection is the variance among individuals in the heritable quantity that determines the population mean trait value, rather than the usual additive genetic component of phenotypic variance. It follows, therefore, that heritable variance may exceed phenotypic variance among individuals, which is impossible in classical theory. This work also provides a measure of the utilization of heritable variation for response to selection and integrates two well-known models of maternal genetic effects. The result shows that relatedness between the focal individual and the individuals affecting its fitness is a key determinant of the utilization of heritable variance for response to selection. PMID:21926298

A general definition of the heritable variation that determines the potential of a population to respond to selection.

PubMed

Bijma, Piter

2011-12-01

Genetic selection is a major force shaping life on earth. In classical genetic theory, response to selection is the product of the strength of selection and the additive genetic variance in a trait. The additive genetic variance reflects a population's intrinsic potential to respond to selection. The ordinary additive genetic variance, however, ignores the social organization of life. With social interactions among individuals, individual trait values may depend on genes in others, a phenomenon known as indirect genetic effects. Models accounting for indirect genetic effects, however, lack a general definition of heritable variation. Here I propose a general definition of the heritable variation that determines the potential of a population to respond to selection. This generalizes the concept of heritable variance to any inheritance model and level of organization. The result shows that heritable variance determining potential response to selection is the variance among individuals in the heritable quantity that determines the population mean trait value, rather than the usual additive genetic component of phenotypic variance. It follows, therefore, that heritable variance may exceed phenotypic variance among individuals, which is impossible in classical theory. This work also provides a measure of the utilization of heritable variation for response to selection and integrates two well-known models of maternal genetic effects. The result shows that relatedness between the focal individual and the individuals affecting its fitness is a key determinant of the utilization of heritable variance for response to selection.

Responder Technology Alert Monthly (January 2015)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Upton, Jaki F.; Stein, Steven L.

As part of technology foraging for the Responder Technology Alliance, established by the Department of Homeland Science and Technologies First Responders Group, this report summarizes technologies that are relevant in the area of “wearables,” with the potential for use by first responders. The content was collected over the previous month(s) and reproduced from a general Internet search using the term wearables. Additional information is available at the websites provided. This report is not meant to be an exhaustive list nor an endorsement of any technology described herein. Rather, it is meant to provide useful information about current developments in themore » areas wearable technology.« less

CBT for childhood anxiety disorders: differential changes in selective attention between treatment responders and non-responders.

PubMed

Legerstee, Jeroen S; Tulen, Joke H M; Dierckx, Bram; Treffers, Philip D A; Verhulst, Frank C; Utens, Elisabeth M W J

2010-02-01

This study examined whether treatment response to stepped-care cognitive-behavioural treatment (CBT) is associated with changes in threat-related selective attention and its specific components in a large clinical sample of anxiety-disordered children. Ninety-one children with an anxiety disorder were included in the present study. Children received a standardized stepped-care CBT. Three treatment response groups were distinguished: initial responders (anxiety disorder free after phase one: child-focused CBT), secondary responders (anxiety disorder free after phase two: child-parent-focused CBT), and treatment non-responders. Treatment response was determined using a semi-structured clinical interview. Children performed a pictorial dot-probe task before and after stepped-care CBT (i.e., before phase one and after phase two CBT). Changes in selective attention to severely threatening pictures, but not to mildly threatening pictures, were significantly associated with treatment success. At pre-treatment assessment, initial responders selectively attended away from severely threatening pictures, whereas secondary responders selectively attended toward severely threatening pictures. After stepped-care CBT, initial and secondary responders did not show any selectivity in the attentional processing of severely threatening pictures. Treatment non-responders did not show any changes in selective attention due to CBT. Initial and secondary treatment responders showed a reduction of their predisposition to selectively attend away or toward severely threatening pictures, respectively. Treatment non-responders did not show any changes in selective attention. The pictorial dot-probe task can be considered a potentially valuable tool in assigning children to appropriate treatment formats as well as for monitoring changes in selective attention during the course of CBT.

International Scavenging for First Responder Guidance and Tools: IAEA Products

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stern, W.; Berthelot, L.; Bachner, K.

In fiscal years (FY) 2016 and 2017, with support from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) examined the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) radiological emergency response and preparedness products (guidance and tools) to determine which of these products could be useful to U.S. first responders. The IAEA Incident and Emergency Centre (IEC), which is responsible for emergency preparedness and response, offers a range of tools and guidance documents for responders in recognizing, responding to, and recovering from radiation emergencies and incidents. In order to implement this project, BNL obtained all potentially relevant tools and productsmore » produced by the IAEA IEC and analyzed these materials to determine their relevance to first responders in the U.S. Subsequently, BNL organized and hosted a workshop at DHS National Urban Security Technology Laboratory (NUSTL) for U.S. first responders to examine and evaluate IAEA products to consider their applicability to the United States. This report documents and describes the First Responder Product Evaluation Workshop, and provides recommendations on potential steps the U.S. federal government could take to make IAEA guidance and tools useful to U.S. responders.« less

Responder Technology Alert Monthly (Oct-Nov 2014)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Upton, Jaki F.; Stein, Steven L.

As part of technology foraging for the Responder Technology Alliance, established by the Department of Homeland Science and Technologies First Responders Group, this report summarizes technologies that are relevant in the area of “wearables,” with the potential for use by first responders. The content was collected over the previous month(s) and reproduced from a general Internet search using the term wearables. Additional information is available at the websites provided. This report is not meant to be an exhaustive list nor an endorsement of any technology described herein. Rather, it is meant to provide useful information about current developments in themore » areas wearable technology.« less

The anti-sigma factor RsrA responds to oxidative stress by reburying its hydrophobic core

PubMed Central

Rajasekar, Karthik V.; Zdanowski, Konrad; Yan, Jun; Hopper, Jonathan T. S.; Francis, Marie-Louise R.; Seepersad, Colin; Sharp, Connor; Pecqueur, Ludovic; Werner, Jörn M.; Robinson, Carol V.; Mohammed, Shabaz; Potts, Jennifer R.; Kleanthous, Colin

2016-01-01

Redox-regulated effector systems that counteract oxidative stress are essential for all forms of life. Here we uncover a new paradigm for sensing oxidative stress centred on the hydrophobic core of a sensor protein. RsrA is an archetypal zinc-binding anti-sigma factor that responds to disulfide stress in the cytoplasm of Actinobacteria. We show that RsrA utilizes its hydrophobic core to bind the sigma factor σR preventing its association with RNA polymerase, and that zinc plays a central role in maintaining this high-affinity complex. Oxidation of RsrA is limited by the rate of zinc release, which weakens the RsrA–σR complex by accelerating its dissociation. The subsequent trigger disulfide, formed between specific combinations of RsrA's three zinc-binding cysteines, precipitates structural collapse to a compact state where all σR-binding residues are sequestered back into its hydrophobic core, releasing σR to activate transcription of anti-oxidant genes. PMID:27432510

Discomfort Intolerance: Evaluation of a Potential Risk Factor for Anxiety Psychopathology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmidt, Norman B.; Richey, J. Anthony; Cromer, Kiara R.; Buckner, Julia D.

2007-01-01

Discomfort intolerance, defined as an individual difference in the capacity to tolerate unpleasant bodily sensations, is a construct recently posited as a risk factor for panic and anxiety psychopathology. The present report used a biological challenge procedure to evaluate whether discomfort intolerance predicts fearful responding beyond the…

Mothers of children with externalizing behavior problems: cognitive risk factors for abuse potential and discipline style and practices.

PubMed

McElroy, Erika M; Rodriguez, Christina M

2008-08-01

Utilizing the conceptual framework of the Social Information Processing (SIP) model (Milner, 1993, 2000), associations between cognitive risk factors and child physical abuse risk and maladaptive discipline style and practices were examined in an at-risk population. Seventy-three mothers of 5-12-year-old children, who were identified by their therapist as having an externalizing behavior problem, responded to self-report measures pertaining to cognitive risk factors (empathic perspective taking, frustration tolerance, developmental expectations, parenting locus of control), abuse risk, and discipline style and practices. The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) provided a confirmation of the child's externalizing behaviors independent of the therapist's assessment. The results of this study suggest several cognitive risk factors significantly predict risk of parental aggression toward children. A parent's ability to empathize and take the perspective of their child, parental locus of control, and parental level of frustration tolerance were significant predictors of abuse potential (accounting for 63% of the variance) and inappropriate discipline practices (accounting for 55% of the variance). Findings of the present study provide support for processes theorized in the SIP model. Specifically, results underscore the potential role of parents' frustration tolerance, developmental expectations, locus of control, and empathy as predictive of abuse potential and disciplinary style in an at-risk sample.

Potentially Modifiable Factors Associated With Physical Activity in Individuals With Multiple Sclerosis.

PubMed

Reider, Nadia; Salter, Amber R; Cutter, Gary R; Tyry, Tuula; Marrie, Ruth Ann

2017-04-01

Physical activity levels among persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) are worryingly low. We aimed to identify the factors associated with physical activity for people with MS, with an emphasis on factors that have not been studied previously (bladder and hand dysfunction) and are potentially modifiable. This study was a secondary analysis of data collected in the spring of 2012 during the North American Research Committee on Multiple Sclerosis (NARCOMS) Registry. NARCOMS participants were surveyed regarding smoking using questions from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey; disability using the Patient Determined Disease Steps; fatigue, cognition, spasticity, sensory, bladder, vision and hand function using self-reported Performance Scales; health literacy using the Medical Term Recognition Test; and physical activity using questions from the Health Information National Trends Survey. We used a forward binary logistic regression to develop a predictive model in which physical activity was the outcome variable. Of 8,755 respondents, 1,707 (19.5%) were classified as active and 7,068 (80.5%) as inactive. In logistic regression, being a current smoker, moderate or severe level of disability, depression, fatigue, hand, or bladder dysfunction and minimal to mild spasticity were associated with lower odds of meeting physical activity guidelines. MS type was not linked to activity level. Several modifiable clinical and lifestyle factors influenced physical activity in MS. Prospective studies are needed to evaluate whether modification of these factors can increase physical activity participation in persons with MS. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Burden of Research on Trauma for Respondents: A Prospective and Comparative Study on Respondents Evaluations and Predictors

PubMed Central

van der Velden, Peter G.; Bosmans, Mark W. G.; Scherpenzeel, Annette C.

2013-01-01

The possible burden of participating in trauma research is an important topic for Ethical Committees (EC's), Review Boards (RB's) and researchers. However, to what extent research on trauma is more burdensome than non-trauma research is unknown. Little is known about which factors explain respondents evaluations on the burden: to what extent are they trauma-related or dependent on other factors such as personality and how respondents evaluate research in general? Data of a large probability based multi-wave internet panel, with surveys on politics and values, personality and health in 2009 and 2011, and a survey on trauma in 2012 provided the unique opportunity to address these questions. Results among respondents confronted with these events in the past 2 years (N = 950) showed that questions on trauma were significantly and systematically evaluated as less pleasant (enjoyed less), more difficult, but also stimulated respondents to think about things more than almost all previous non-trauma surveys. Yet, the computed effect sizes indicated that the differences were (very) small and often meaningless. No differences were found between users and non-users of mental services, in contrast to posttraumatic stress symptoms. Evaluations of the burden of previous surveys in 2011 on politics and values, personality and health most strongly, systematically and independently predicted the burden of questions on trauma, and not posttraumatic stress symptoms, event-related coping self-efficacy and personality factors. For instance, multiple linear regression analyses showed that 30% of the variance of how (un)pleasant questions on trauma and life-events were evaluated, was explained by how (un)pleasant the 3 surveys in 2011 were evaluated, in contrast to posttraumatic stress symptoms (not significant) and coping self-efficacy (5%). Findings question why EC's, RB's and researchers should be more critical of the possible burden of trauma research than of the possible burden

A questionnaire study of associations between potential risk factors and salmonella status in Swedish dairy herds.

PubMed

Ågren, Estelle C C; Frössling, Jenny; Wahlström, Helene; Emanuelson, Ulf; Sternberg Lewerin, Susanna

2017-08-01

In this study associations between potential risk factors and salmonella status in Swedish dairy herds were investigated. A case-control study design was used, including existing as well as new cases. Herds were assigned a salmonella status on the basis of antibody analysis of bulk milk samples. Information on potential risk factors was collected from registry data and from farmers via a questionnaire. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to investigate associations between salmonella status and potential risk factors. In addition, multivariate analysis with Additive Bayesian Network (ABN) modelling was performed to improve understanding of the complex relationship between all the variables. Because of the difficulty in identifying associations between potential risk factors and infections with low prevalence and a large regional variation, exposure of potential risk factors in the high-prevalence region (Öland) were compared to exposure in other regions in Sweden. In total 483 of 996 (48%) farmers responded to the questionnaire, 69 herds had test-positive bulk milk samples. The strongest association with salmonella status was 'presence of salmonella test-positive herds <5 km' (OR 4.3, 95% CI 2.0-9.4). Associations with salmonella status were also seen between 'feeding calves residue milk only' (OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.2-4.6), 'certified organic herds' (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.2-4.9) and 'frequently seeing signs of rodents' (OR 0.4, 95% CI 0.13-0.97). The ABN model showed associations between Öland and four of the variables: salmonella status, presence of test-positive herds <5km, shared pastures and providing protective clothing for visitors. The latter is probably a reflection of increased disease awareness in Öland. The ABN model showed associations between herd size and housing as well as several management procedures. This provides an explanation why herd size frequently has been identified as a risk factor for salmonella by other studies

Differences in change in coping styles between good responders, moderate responders and non-responders to pulmonary rehabilitation.

PubMed

Stoilkova-Hartmann, Ana; Janssen, Daisy J A; Franssen, Frits M E; Wouters, Emiel F M

2015-12-01

Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) improves exercise tolerance and health status in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Data on the effects of PR on coping styles are limited. Aim of the present study was to compare changes in coping styles between patients who had a good, moderate and no improvement in either exercise tolerance or health status after PR. Coping styles of 439 COPD patients undergoing PR were assessed by the Utrecht Coping List (UCL) at baseline and after PR. Patients' pulmonary function, six-minute walking distance (6MWD), St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-A and HADS-D) were recorded. Good, moderate and non-responders were defined on the basis of minimally clinically important difference (MCID) for SGRQ total score and/or 6MWD. Overall, 54.0% of the patients fulfilled the criteria for good responders, while 22.1% were moderate responders. Change in passive reaction pattern coping style differed significantly between good responders and non-responders following PR (p < 0.001). Moreover, within the groups, changes in coping styles after PR occurred among the good responders, whereas the majority of moderate responders' and non-responders' coping styles were not significantly influenced by PR. Good responders decreased their passive reaction pattern coping style in contrast to non-responders after PR. In general, PR did not change the coping among moderate and non-responders. Further research is warranted to determine whether including interventions targeting coping styles may modify coping behaviour of COPD patients, as well as improvement in exercise tolerance or health status after PR. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The characteristics of non-respondents and respondents of a mental health survey among evacuees in a disaster: The Fukushima Health Management Survey

PubMed Central

Horikoshi, Naoko; Iwasa, Hajime; Yasumura, Seiji; Maeda, Masaharu

2017-01-01

Abstract The Fukushima Medical University conducted a mental health care program for evacuees after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident. However, the mental health status of non-respondents has not been considered for surveys using questionnaires. Therefore, the aim of this study was to clarify the characteristics of non-respondents and respondents. The target population of the survey (FY2011-2013) is people living in the nationally designated evacuation zone of Fukushima prefecture. Among these, the participants were 967 people (20 years or older). We examined factors that affected the difference between the groups of participants (i.e., non-respondents and respondents) using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Employment was higher in non-respondents (p=0.022) and they were also more socially isolated (p=0.047) when compared to respondents; non-respondents had a higher proportional risk of psychological distress compared to respondents (p<0.033). The results of the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that, within the participants there was a significant association between employment status (OR=1.99, 95% confidence interval [CI]:1.12-3.51) and psychological distress (OR=2.17, 95% CI: 1.01-4.66). We found that non-respondents had a significantly higher proportion of psychological distress compared to the respondents. Although the non-respondents were the high-risk group, it is not possible to grasp the complexity of the situation by simply using questionnaire surveys. Therefore, in the future it is necessary to direct our efforts towards the mental health of non-respondents and respondents alike. PMID:29237989

The characteristics of non-respondents and respondents of a mental health survey among evacuees in a disaster: The Fukushima Health Management Survey.

PubMed

Horikoshi, Naoko; Iwasa, Hajime; Yasumura, Seiji; Maeda, Masaharu

2017-12-19

The Fukushima Medical University conducted a mental health care program for evacuees after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident. However, the mental health status of non-respondents has not been considered for surveys using questionnaires. Therefore, the aim of this study was to clarify the characteristics of non-respondents and respondents. The target population of the survey (FY2011-2013) is people living in the nationally designated evacuation zone of Fukushima prefecture. Among these, the participants were 967 people (20 years or older). We examined factors that affected the difference between the groups of participants (i.e., non-respondents and respondents) using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Employment was higher in non-respondents (p=0.022) and they were also more socially isolated (p=0.047) when compared to respondents; non-respondents had a higher proportional risk of psychological distress compared to respondents (p<0.033). The results of the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that, within the participants there was a significant association between employment status (OR=1.99, 95% confidence interval [CI]:1.12-3.51) and psychological distress (OR=2.17, 95% CI:1.01-4.66). We found that non-respondents had a significantly higher proportion of psychological distress compared to the respondents. Although the non-respondents were the high-risk group, it is not possible to grasp the complexity of the situation by simply using questionnaire surveys. Therefore, in the future it is necessary to direct our efforts towards the mental health of non-respondents and respondents alike.

Factors potentially associated with the decision of admission to the intensive care unit in a middle-income country: a survey of Brazilian physicians.

PubMed

Ramos, João Gabriel Rosa; Passos, Rogerio da Hora; Baptista, Paulo Benigno Pena; Forte, Daniel Neves

2017-01-01

To evaluate the factors potentially associated with the decision of admission to the intensive care unit in Brazil. An electronic survey of Brazilian physicians working in intensive care units. Fourteen variables that were potentially associated with the decision of admission to the intensive care unit were rated as important (from 1 to 5) by the respondents and were later grouped as "patient-related," "scarcity-related" and "administrative-related" factors. The workplace and physician characteristics were evaluated for correlation with the factor ratings. During the study period, 125 physicians completed the survey. The scores on patient-related factors were rated higher on their potential to affect decisions than scarcity-related or administrative-related factors, with a mean ± SD of 3.42 ± 0.7, 2.75 ± 0.7 and 2.87 ± 0.7, respectively (p < 0.001). The patient's underlying illness prognosis was rated by 64.5% of the physicians as always or frequently affecting decisions, followed by acute illness prognosis (57%), number of intensive care unit beds available (56%) and patient's wishes (53%). After controlling for confounders, receiving specific training on intensive care unit triage was associated with higher ratings of the patient-related factors and scarcity-related factors, while working in a public intensive care unit (as opposed to a private intensive care unit) was associated with higher ratings of the scarcity-related factors. Patient-related factors were more frequently rated as potentially affecting intensive care unit admission decisions than scarcity-related or administrative-related factors. Physician and workplace characteristics were associated with different factor ratings.

Emergency First Responders' Experience with Colorimetric Detection Methods

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sandra L. Fox; Keith A. Daum; Carla J. Miller

2007-10-01

Nationwide, first responders from state and federal support teams respond to hazardous materials incidents, industrial chemical spills, and potential weapons of mass destruction (WMD) attacks. Although first responders have sophisticated chemical, biological, radiological, and explosive detectors available for assessment of the incident scene, simple colorimetric detectors have a role in response actions. The large number of colorimetric chemical detection methods available on the market can make the selection of the proper methods difficult. Although each detector has unique aspects to provide qualitative or quantitative data about the unknown chemicals present, not all detectors provide consistent, accurate, and reliable results. Includedmore » here, in a consumer-report-style format, we provide “boots on the ground” information directly from first responders about how well colorimetric chemical detection methods meet their needs in the field and how they procure these methods.« less

Factors potentially associated with the decision of admission to the intensive care unit in a middle-income country: a survey of Brazilian physicians

PubMed Central

Ramos, João Gabriel Rosa; Passos, Rogerio da Hora; Baptista, Paulo Benigno Pena; Forte, Daniel Neves

2017-01-01

Objective To evaluate the factors potentially associated with the decision of admission to the intensive care unit in Brazil. Methods An electronic survey of Brazilian physicians working in intensive care units. Fourteen variables that were potentially associated with the decision of admission to the intensive care unit were rated as important (from 1 to 5) by the respondents and were later grouped as "patient-related," "scarcity-related" and "administrative-related" factors. The workplace and physician characteristics were evaluated for correlation with the factor ratings. Results During the study period, 125 physicians completed the survey. The scores on patient-related factors were rated higher on their potential to affect decisions than scarcity-related or administrative-related factors, with a mean ± SD of 3.42 ± 0.7, 2.75 ± 0.7 and 2.87 ± 0.7, respectively (p < 0.001). The patient's underlying illness prognosis was rated by 64.5% of the physicians as always or frequently affecting decisions, followed by acute illness prognosis (57%), number of intensive care unit beds available (56%) and patient's wishes (53%). After controlling for confounders, receiving specific training on intensive care unit triage was associated with higher ratings of the patient-related factors and scarcity-related factors, while working in a public intensive care unit (as opposed to a private intensive care unit) was associated with higher ratings of the scarcity-related factors. Conclusions Patient-related factors were more frequently rated as potentially affecting intensive care unit admission decisions than scarcity-related or administrative-related factors. Physician and workplace characteristics were associated with different factor ratings. PMID:28977256

Blood pressure in firefighters, police officers, and other emergency responders.

PubMed

Kales, Stefanos N; Tsismenakis, Antonios J; Zhang, Chunbai; Soteriades, Elpidoforos S

2009-01-01

Elevated blood pressure is a major risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Increased risk begins in the prehypertensive range and increases further with higher pressures. The strenuous duties of emergency responders (firefighters, police officers, and emergency medical services (EMS) personnel) can interact with their personal risk profiles, including elevated blood pressure, to precipitate acute cardiovascular events. Approximately three-quarters of emergency responders have prehypertension or hypertension, a proportion which is expected to increase, based on the obesity epidemic. Elevated blood pressure is also inadequately controlled in these professionals and strongly linked to cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality. Notably, the majority of incident cardiovascular disease events occur in responders who are initially prehypertensive or only mildly hypertensive and whose average premorbid blood pressures are in the range in which many physicians would hesitate to prescribe medications (140-146/88-92). Laws mandating public benefits for emergency responders with cardiovascular disease provide an additional rationale for aggressively controlling their blood pressure. This review provides a background on emergency responders, summarizes occupational risk factors for hypertension and the metabolic syndrome, their prevalence of elevated blood pressure, and evidence linking hypertension with adverse outcomes in these professions. Next, discrepancies between relatively outdated medical standards for emergency responders and current, evidence-based guidelines for blood pressure management in the general public are highlighted. Finally, a workplace-oriented approach for blood pressure control among emergency responders is proposed, based on the seventh report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure.

Mischievous responding in Internet Gaming Disorder research.

PubMed

Przybylski, Andrew K

2016-01-01

The most recent update to the American Psychiatric Association's (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) included Internet Gaming Disorder as a new potential psychiatric condition that merited further scientific study. The present research was conducted in response to the APA Substance-Related Disorders Working Group's research call to estimate the extent to which mischievous responding-a known problematic pattern of participant self-report responding in questionnaires-is relevant to Internet Gaming Disorder research. In line with a registered sampling and analysis plan, findings from two studies (n tot = 11,908) provide clear evidence that mischievous responding is positively associated with the number of Internet Gaming Disorder indicators participants report. Results are discussed in the context of ongoing problem gaming research and the discussion provides recommendations for improving the quality of scientific practice in this area.

Human Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Respond to Short-Term Hypoxia by Secreting Factors Beneficial for Human Islets In Vitro and Potentiate Antidiabetic Effect In Vivo

PubMed Central

Schive, Simen W.; Mirlashari, Mohammad Reza; Hasvold, Grete; Wang, Mengyu; Josefsen, Dag; Gullestad, Hans Petter; Korsgren, Olle; Foss, Aksel; Kvalheim, Gunnar; Scholz, Hanne

2017-01-01

Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) release factors beneficial for islets in vitro and protect against hyperglycemia in rodent models of diabetes. Oxygen tension has been shown to induce metabolic changes and alter ASCs’ release of soluble factors. The effects of hypoxia on the antidiabetic properties of ASCs have not been explored. To investigate this, we incubated human ASCs for 48 h in 21% (normoxia) or 1% O2 (hypoxia) and compared viability, cell growth, surface markers, differentiation capability, and soluble factors in the conditioned media (CM). Human islets were exposed to CM from ASCs incubated in either normoxia or hypoxia, and islet function and apoptosis after culture with or without proinflammatory cytokines were measured. To test hypoxic preconditioned ASCs’ islet protective effects in vivo, ASCs were incubated for 48 h in normoxia or hypoxia before being injected into Balb/c Rag 1–/– immunodeficient mice with streptozotocin-induced insulitis. Progression of diabetes and insulin content of pancreas were measured. We found that incubation in hypoxia was well tolerated by ASCs and that levels of VEGF-A, FGF-2, and bNGF were elevated in CM from ASCs incubated in hypoxia compared to normoxia, while levels of HGF, IL-8, and CXCL1 were reduced. CM from ASCs incubated in hypoxia significantly improved human islet function and reduced apoptosis after culture, and reduced cytokine-induced apoptosis. In our mouse model, pancreas insulin content was higher in both groups receiving ASCs compared to control, but the mice receiving preconditioned ASCs had lower random and fasting blood glucose, as well as improved oral glucose tolerance compared to untreated mice. In conclusion, our in vitro results indicate that the islet protective potential of ASCs improves in hypoxia, and we give insight into factors involved in this. Finally we show that hypoxic preconditioning potentiates ASCs’ antidiabetic effect in vivo. PMID:28713640

Comparison of opportunities to respond and generation effect as potential causal mechanisms for incremental rehearsal with multiplication combinations.

PubMed

Zaslofsky, Anne F; Scholin, Sarah E; Burns, Matthew K; Varma, Sashank

2016-04-01

Incremental rehearsal (IR) is an intervention with demonstrated effectiveness in increasing retention of information, yet little is known about how specific intervention components contribute to the intervention's effectiveness. The purpose of this study was to further the theoretical understanding of the intervention by comparing the effects of opportunities to respond (OTR) and generation demand on retention of multiplication combinations. Using a between subject 2 × 2 factorial design, 103 4th and 5th grade students were taught seven multiplication combinations using one of four versions of IR that orthogonally varied OTR (high versus low) and generation demands (high versus low). A two-way ANOVA revealed main effects for OTR, generation demands, and an interaction of the two factors. The effect of generation demands was large (d=1.31), whereas the overall effect of OTR was moderate (d=0.66). Critically, the two factors interacted, with the largest learning gains observed when OTR and generation demands were both high. The results of this study suggest that generation demand is an important factor in the effectiveness of rehearsal interventions. Copyright © 2016 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Differences in baseline and process variables between non-responders and responders in Internet-based cognitive behavior therapy for chronic tinnitus.

PubMed

Probst, Thomas; Weise, Cornelia; Andersson, Gerhard; Kleinstäuber, Maria

2018-06-06

Although Internet-based cognitive behavior therapy (iCBT) is an effective treatment for chronic tinnitus, several patients do not improve. In the current study, baseline and process variables were compared between non-responders and responders. Data from patients participating in two randomized controlled trials on iCBT for chronic tinnitus were re-analyzed. Based on the literature, a pre-post difference on the "Tinnitus Handicap Inventory" (THI) of less than seven points improvement was used to operationalize non-response. Associations between non-response and baseline variables (age, gender, and questionnaire scores), patient progress (THI), the process of the therapeutic alliance ("Working Alliance Inventory-Short Revised"; WAI-SR), as well as other process variables (number of logins, amount of messages sent from therapists to patients) were investigated. The results showed that non-responders had a less favorable change on the THI than responders already at mid-treatment (p < .05). The alliance (WAI-SR) during iCBT was not associated with non-response. Non-responders showed more severe sleep disturbances, logged in less in the iCBT platform, and received fewer messages from the therapists than responders, but these differences were mostly not significant anymore when correcting for multiple testing. To conclude, no symptom change in the first half of iCBT for chronic tinnitus patients is a risk factor of not benefiting from iCBT.

Categorization of potential project cost overrun factors in construction industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karunakaran, P.; Abdullah, A. H.; Nagapan, S.; Sohu, S.; Kasvar, K. K.

2018-04-01

Cost overrun has been severely hit down the economy and reputations for many construction industry around the world. Many project management tools developed to control the budget of a project. However, the cost management is still considered poor as there are many cost overrun issues occurred in the construction industry. Thus, this paper aims to identify and cluster the potential construction project cost overrun factors according to their originating groups using the thematic approach. Basically, through literature review, all the potential factors that may cause cost overrun were screened thoroughly before they were clustered into seven (7) groups of the originating factors, namely project, contract, client, contractor, consultant, labour and external. Each potential factor was explained clearly with some examples based on the Malaysian case studies to illustrate the cost overrun scenario. These findings may aid in the future to highlight on how to mitigate the critical potential factors of cost overrun to reduce or overcome its impact on all the stakeholders involved.

How to respond to referee comments for scientific articles?

PubMed

Kalemci, Mustafa Serdar; Turna, Burak

2013-09-01

Currently, the increasing number of article submissions to scientific journals forces editors to be more selective in their acceptance of papers. Consequently, editors have increased the frequency of their use of scientific referee mechanisms. For many researchers, the publication of a scientific article in a high impact factor journal is a gradual and difficult process. After preparation and submission of a manuscript, one of the most important issue is responding to the comments of referees. However, there is a paucity of published reports in the literature describing how to respond to these comments. The aim of this review is to assist researchers/authors in responding to referee comments as part of the publication process for scientific articles.

Disclosure of Medical Errors: What Factors Influence How Patients Respond?

PubMed Central

Mazor, Kathleen M; Reed, George W; Yood, Robert A; Fischer, Melissa A; Baril, Joann; Gurwitz, Jerry H

2006-01-01

BACKGROUND Disclosure of medical errors is encouraged, but research on how patients respond to specific practices is limited. OBJECTIVE This study sought to determine whether full disclosure, an existing positive physician-patient relationship, an offer to waive associated costs, and the severity of the clinical outcome influenced patients' responses to medical errors. PARTICIPANTS Four hundred and seven health plan members participated in a randomized experiment in which they viewed video depictions of medical error and disclosure. DESIGN Subjects were randomly assigned to experimental condition. Conditions varied in type of medication error, level of disclosure, reference to a prior positive physician-patient relationship, an offer to waive costs, and clinical outcome. MEASURES Self-reported likelihood of changing physicians and of seeking legal advice; satisfaction, trust, and emotional response. RESULTS Nondisclosure increased the likelihood of changing physicians, and reduced satisfaction and trust in both error conditions. Nondisclosure increased the likelihood of seeking legal advice and was associated with a more negative emotional response in the missed allergy error condition, but did not have a statistically significant impact on seeking legal advice or emotional response in the monitoring error condition. Neither the existence of a positive relationship nor an offer to waive costs had a statistically significant impact. CONCLUSIONS This study provides evidence that full disclosure is likely to have a positive effect or no effect on how patients respond to medical errors. The clinical outcome also influences patients' responses. The impact of an existing positive physician-patient relationship, or of waiving costs associated with the error remains uncertain. PMID:16808770

Using Online Respondent Driven Sampling for Vietnamese Youths' Alcohol Use and Associated Risk Factors

PubMed Central

Zhang, Melvyn W. B.; Tran, Bach Xuan; Le, Huong Thi; Long, Nguyen Hoang; Le, Huong Thi; Hinh, Nguyen Duc; Tho, Tran Dinh; Le, Bao Nguyen; Thuc, Vu Thi Minh; Ngo, Chau; Tu, Nguyen Huu; Latkin, Carl A.; Ho, Roger CM

2017-01-01

Objectives The average alcohol consumption per capita among Vietnamese adults has consistently increased. Although alcohol-related disorders have been extensively studied, there is a paucity of research shedding light on this issue among Internet users. The study aimed to examine the severity of alcohol-related disorders and other associated factors that might predispose individuals towards alcohol usage in a sample of youths recruited online. Methods An online cross-sectional study was conducted with 1,080 Vietnamese youths. A standardized questionnaire was used. Respondent-driven sampling was applied to recruit participants. Multivariate logistic and Tobit regressions were utilized to identify the associated factors. Results About 59.5% of the males and 12.7% of the total youths declared that they were actively using alcohol. From the total sample, a cumulative total of 32.3% of the participants were drinking alcohol, with 21.8% and 25.0% of the participants being classified as drinking hazardously and binge drinkers, respectively. The majority of the participants (60.7%) were in the pre-contemplative stage. Conclusions A high prevalence of hazardous drinking was recognized among online Vietnamese youths. In addition, we found relationships between alcohol use disorder and other addictive disorders, such as tobacco smoking and water-pipe usage. Our results highlighted that the majority of the individuals are not receptive to the idea of changing their alcohol habits, and this would imply that there ought to be more government effort towards the implementation of effective alcohol control policies. PMID:28523209

A comparison of physical and psychological features of responders and non-responders to cervical facet blocks in chronic whiplash

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Cervical facet block (FB) procedures are often used as a diagnostic precursor to radiofrequency neurotomies (RFN) in the management of chronic whiplash associated disorders (WAD). Some individuals will respond to the FB procedures and others will not respond. Such responders and non-responders provided a sample of convenience to question whether there were differences in their physical and psychological features. This information may inform future predictive studies and ultimately the clinical selection of patients for FB procedures. Methods This cross-sectional study involved 58 individuals with chronic WAD who responded to cervical FB procedures (WAD_R); 32 who did not respond (WAD_NR) and 30 Healthy Controls (HC)s. Measures included: quantitative sensory tests (pressure; thermal pain thresholds; brachial plexus provocation test); nociceptive flexion reflex (NFR); motor function (cervical range of movement (ROM); activity of the superficial neck flexors during the cranio-cervical flexion test (CCFT). Self-reported measures were gained from the following questionnaires: neuropathic pain (s-LANSS); psychological distress (General Health Questionnaire-28), post-traumatic stress (PDS) and pain catastrophization (PCS). Individuals with chronic whiplash attended the laboratory once the effects of the blocks had abated and symptoms had returned. Results Following FB procedures, both WAD groups demonstrated generalized hypersensitivity to all sensory tests, decreased neck ROM and increased superficial muscle activity with the CCFT compared to controls (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences between WAD groups (all p > 0.05). Both WAD groups demonstrated psychological distress (GHQ-28; p < 0.05), moderate post-traumatic stress symptoms and pain catastrophization. The WAD_NR group also demonstrated increased medication intake and elevated PCS scores compared to the WAD_R group (p < 0.05). Conclusions Chronic WAD responders and non-responders to FB

77 GHz radar for first responders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kosowsky, L. H.; Aronoff, A. D.; Ferraro, R.; Alland, S.; Fleischman, E.

2017-02-01

First responders have the dangerous task of responding to emergency situations in firefighting scenarios involving homes and offices. The importance of this radar is its ability to see through walls and into adjacent areas to provide the first responder with information to assess the status of a building fire, its occupants, and to supplement his thermal camera which is obstructed by the wall. For the firefighter looking into an adjacent room containing unknown objects including humans, the challenge is to recognize what is in that room, the configuration of the room, and potential escape routes. We have just concluded a series of experiments to illustrate the performance of 77GHz radar in buildings. The experiments utilized the Delphi Automotive radar as the mm wave sensor and included display software developed by L. H. Kosowsky and Associates. The system has demonstrated the capability of seeing through walls consisting of sheetrock separated by two by four pieces of wood. It has demonstrated the ability to see into the adjacent room and to display the existence of persons and furniture Based on published data, the radar will perform well in a smoke, haze, and/or fog environment.

Erythropoietin plus granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in the treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes. Identification of a subgroup of responders. The Spanish Erythropathology Group.

PubMed

Remacha, A F; Arrizabalaga, B; Villegas, A; Manteiga, R; Calvo, T; Julià, A; Fernández Fuertes, I; González, F A; Font, L; Juncà, J; del Arco, A; Malcorra, J J; Equiza, E P; de Mendiguren, B P; Romero, M

1999-12-01

Anemia leading to transfusion is probably the most important problem in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Human recombinant erythropoietin (rHuEpo) and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) have been used to treat patients with anemia of MDS, but fewer than 50% respond. The aim of this work was to evaluate the benefit of rHuEpo +/- G-CSF treatment and to isolate the response predictive variables in a group of selected patients with MDS. A non-randomized multicenter trial was carried out in 32 patients with MDS. The inclusion criteria were age >= 18 years, refractory anemia (RA) or refractory anemia with ringed sideroblasts, Hb <= 100 g/L or receiving transfusions and serum erythropoietin <= 250 U/L. These patients were treated with subcutaneous rHuEpo (300 U/kg) three times a week for 8 weeks. In the case of partial response (PR) or no response (NR) subcutaneosly administered G-CSF (1 microg/kg) three times a week was added to the rHuEpo for 8 more weeks. If the patient achieved complete response (CR) or PR in the second phase, he was included in a follow-up phase of 24 weeks in which the dose of growth factors was tapered down. Several variables, including the score published by the Scandinavian-American group, were used as possible predictive variables. An erythroid response was observed in 16 patients (50%); in 12 it was a CR and in 4 it was a PR. During the period of rHuEpo administration, 7 CR and 4 PR (34.4%) were documented. Of the 14 patients in whom G-CSF was added to rHuEpo, 7 (50%) responded (3 CR and 4 PR). No major side-effects associated with growth factors were observed. The multivariate analysis showed that of the different variables evaluated only the Scandinavian-American response score was significant with a relative probability of response of 11.8 (95% confident intervals: 2.5-53) when this score was > +1 (77% of cases responded). In contrast, when this score was <= 1 only 15 % of the cases responded. Use of the Scandinavian

Pre-deployment Heat Acclimatization Guidelines for Disaster Responders.

PubMed

Brearley, Matt B

2016-02-01

Minimal preparation time is a feature of responding to sudden onset disasters. While equipment and supplies are prepared for deployment at short notice, less is known of the physical preparation of medical responders. With many disaster-prone areas classified as tropical regions, there is potential for responders to endure a combination of high ambient temperatures and relative humidity during deployment. Heat acclimatization, defined as the physiological and perceptual adaptations to frequent elevations of core body temperature (Tc), is a key strategy to improve tolerance of hot conditions by medical responders. Pre-deployment heat acclimatization guidelines were developed based upon the duration of physical training and the subjective rate of perceived exertion (session RPE). An objective of individual training sessions was the perception of body temperature as warm to hot. The guidelines were implemented for Team Bravo (2nd rotation) of the Australian Medical Assistance Team (AusMAT) deployed to Tacloban, Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013. The guidelines were distributed electronically five to seven days prior to deployment and were followed by a consultation. A group training session in hot conditions was undertaken prior to departure. The AusMAT responders to utilize the guidelines were based in cool or temperate climates that required extra layers of clothing, training during warmer parts of the days, or warm indoor conditions to achieve session objectives. Responders reported the guidelines were simple to use, applicable to their varied training regimens, and had improved their confidence to work in the heat despite not completing the entire 14 day period. The pre-deployment heat acclimatization guidelines provided AusMAT responders the ability to quantify their physical training and promoted physiological adaptations to maximize health, safety, and performance during deployment. While maintaining year-round heat acclimatization is

Field Sandbur (Cenchrus pauciflorus) Seeds in the Same Bur Respond Differently to Temperature and Water Potential in Relation to Germination in a Semi-Arid Environment, China.

PubMed

Zhang, Zhixin; Tian, Xun; Bai, Yuguang; Liu, Huifang; Niu, Xueli; Wang, Zhiwei; Wang, Qian

2016-01-01

The success of a biological invasion relies on the environment and is closely linked to factors such as water and temperature. Invasive plant species display different seed characteristics, including shape. Field sandbur (Cenchrus pauciflorus) is a globally widespread invasive species capable of adapting to broad environmental conditions. However, its germination response to water and temperature still remains unclear. C. pauciflorus contains two seeds in the same bur that differ in size: big seeds (M) and small seeds (P). Separate greenhouse experiments were conducted under different temperature regimes (0/10°C, 5/15°C, 10/20°C, 15/25°C, 18/28°C, 20/30°C and 25/35°C) and water potentials (-1.50Mpa, -1.00Mpa, -0.75Mpa, -0.50Mpa, -0.25Mpa and 0Mpa) for M and P seeds. The results support the hypothesis that germination of C. pauciflorus is significantly influenced by seed type, temperature and water potential. M and P seeds responded differently to varied alternative temperatures and water potentials. However, M and P seeds were more sensitive to water potential than to temperature. Optimal conditions for M and P seed germination were measured at 25/35°C (night temperature/day temperature) and 20/30°C, respectively. In contrast, the highest germination rate was observed for the 0Mpa of the water potential treatment. Additionally, base temperature (Tbase) and base water potential (Wbase) were lower for M (7.7°C, -1.11Mpa at 10/20°C, and -1.07Mpa at 20/30°C) than for P (9.4°C, -0.92Mpa at 10/20°C, and -0.52Mpa at 20/30°C). These different germination strategies of M and P seeds with respect to temperature and water potential increased overall plant propagation. These results indicate that tropical and subtropical regions water potentials beyond -0.50Mpa (10/20°C) or -1.00Mpa (20/30°C) face a potential risk of C. pauciflorus invasion.

Incubation of extinction responding and cue-induced reinstatement, but not context- or drug priming-induced reinstatement, after withdrawal from methamphetamine

PubMed Central

Adhikary, Sweta; Caprioli, Daniele; Venniro, Marco; Kallenberger, Paige; Shaham, Yavin; Bossert, Jennifer M.

2016-01-01

In rats trained to self-administer methamphetamine, extinction responding in the presence of drug-associated contextual and discrete cues progressively increases after withdrawal (incubation of methamphetamine craving). The conditioning factors underlying this incubation are unknown. Here, we studied incubation of methamphetamine craving under different experimental conditions to identify factors contributing to this incubation. We also determined whether the rats’ response to methamphetamine priming incubates after withdrawal. We trained rats to self-administer methamphetamine in a distinct context (context A) for 14 days (6-h/day). Lever presses were paired with a discrete light cue. We then tested groups of rats in context A or a different non-drug context (context B) after 1 day, 1 week, or 1 month for extinction responding with or without the discrete cue. Subsequently, we tested the rats for reinstatement of drug seeking induced by exposure to contextual, discrete cue, or drug priming (0, 0.25, and 0.5 mg/kg). Operant responding in the extinction sessions in contexts A or B was higher after 1 week and 1 month of withdrawal than after 1 day; this effect was context-independent. Independent of the withdrawal period, operant responding in the extinction sessions was higher when responding led to contingent delivery of the discrete cue. After extinction, discrete cue-induced reinstatement, but not context- or drug priming-induced reinstatement, progressively increased after withdrawal. Together, incubation of methamphetamine craving, as assessed in extinction tests, is primarily mediated by time-dependent increases in non-reinforced operant responding, and this effect is potentiated by exposure to discrete, but not contextual, cues. PMID:26989042

Responder analysis without dichotomization.

PubMed

Zhang, Zhiwei; Chu, Jianxiong; Rahardja, Dewi; Zhang, Hui; Tang, Li

2016-01-01

In clinical trials, it is common practice to categorize subjects as responders and non-responders on the basis of one or more clinical measurements under pre-specified rules. Such a responder analysis is often criticized for the loss of information in dichotomizing one or more continuous or ordinal variables. It is worth noting that a responder analysis can be performed without dichotomization, because the proportion of responders for each treatment can be derived from a model for the original clinical variables (used to define a responder) and estimated by substituting maximum likelihood estimators of model parameters. This model-based approach can be considerably more efficient and more effective for dealing with missing data than the usual approach based on dichotomization. For parameter estimation, the model-based approach generally requires correct specification of the model for the original variables. However, under the sharp null hypothesis, the model-based approach remains unbiased for estimating the treatment difference even if the model is misspecified. We elaborate on these points and illustrate them with a series of simulation studies mimicking a study of Parkinson's disease, which involves longitudinal continuous data in the definition of a responder.

Can older adults resist the positivity effect in neural responding? The impact of verbal framing on event-related brain potentials elicited by emotional images.

PubMed

Rehmert, Andrea E; Kisley, Michael A

2013-10-01

Older adults have demonstrated an avoidance of negative information, presumably with a goal of greater emotional satisfaction. Understanding whether avoidance of negative information is a voluntary, motivated choice or an involuntary, automatic response will be important to differentiate, as decision making often involves emotional factors. With the use of an emotional framing event-related potential (ERP) paradigm, the present study investigated whether older adults could alter neural responses to negative stimuli through verbal reframing of evaluative response options. The late positive potential (LPP) response of 50 older adults and 50 younger adults was recorded while participants categorized emotional images in one of two framing conditions: positive ("more or less positive") or negative ("more or less negative"). It was hypothesized that older adults would be able to overcome a presumed tendency to down-regulate neural responding to negative stimuli in the negative framing condition, thus leading to larger LPP wave amplitudes to negative images. A similar effect was predicted for younger adults, but for positively valenced images, such that LPP responses would be increased in the positive framing condition compared with the negative framing condition. Overall, younger adults' LPP wave amplitudes were modulated by framing condition, including a reduction in the negativity bias in the positive frame. Older adults' neural responses were not significantly modulated, even though task-related behavior supported the notion that older adults were able to successfully adopt the negative framing condition.

Can Older Adults Resist the Positivity Effect in Neural Responding: The Impact of Verbal Framing on Event-Related Brain Potentials Elicited by Emotional Images

PubMed Central

Rehmert, Andrea E.; Kisley, Michael A.

2014-01-01

Older adults have demonstrated an avoidance of negative information presumably with a goal of greater emotional satisfaction. Understanding whether avoidance of negative information is a voluntary, motivated choice, or an involuntary, automatic response will be important to differentiate, as decision-making often involves emotional factors. With the use of an emotional framing event-related potential (ERP) paradigm, the present study investigated whether older adults could alter neural responses to negative stimuli through verbal reframing of evaluative response options. The late-positive potential (LPP) response of 50 older adults and 50 younger adults was recorded while participants categorized emotional images in one of two framing conditions: positive (“more or less positive”) or negative (“more or less negative”). It was hypothesized that older adults would be able to overcome a presumed tendency to down-regulate neural responding to negative stimuli in the negative framing condition thus leading to larger LPP wave amplitudes to negative images. A similar effect was predicted for younger adults but for positively valenced images such that LPP responses would be increased in the positive framing condition compared to the negative framing condition. Overall, younger adults' LPP wave amplitudes were modulated by framing condition, including a reduction in the negativity bias in the positive frame. Older adults' neural responses were not significantly modulated even though task-related behavior supported the notion that older adults were able to successfully adopt the negative framing condition. PMID:23731435

Socially Desirable Responding and the Factorial Stability of the NEO PI-R

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marshall, Margarita B.; De Fruyt, Filip; Rolland, Jean-Pierre; Bagby, R. Michael

2005-01-01

The goal of the present investigation is to compare the factor structure of the revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI-R; P. T. Costa & R. R. McCrae, 1992) in samples of respondents differentially motivated to respond in a socially desirable manner. In the French sample, the authors compared the NEO PI-R structure of job applicants…

Please respond ASAP: workplace telepressure and employee recovery.

PubMed

Barber, Larissa K; Santuzzi, Alecia M

2015-04-01

Organizations rely heavily on asynchronous message-based technologies (e.g., e-mail) for the purposes of work-related communications. These technologies are primary means of knowledge transfer and building social networks. As a by-product, workers might feel varying levels of preoccupations with and urges for responding quickly to messages from clients, coworkers, or supervisors--an experience we label as workplace telepressure. This experience can lead to fast response times and thus faster decisions and other outcomes initially. However, research from the stress and recovery literature suggests that the defining features of workplace telepressure interfere with needed work recovery time and stress-related outcomes. The present set of studies defined and validated a new scale to measure telepressure. Study 1 tested an initial pool of items and found some support for a single-factor structure after problematic items were removed. As expected, public self-consciousness, techno-overload, and response expectations were moderately associated with telepressure in Study 1. Study 2 demonstrated that workplace telepressure was distinct from other personal (job involvement, affective commitment) and work environment (general and ICT work demands) factors and also predicted burnout (physical and cognitive), absenteeism, sleep quality, and e-mail responding beyond those factors. Implications for future research and workplace practices are discussed. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Body Dysmorphic, Obsessive-Compulsive, and Social Anxiety Disorder Beliefs as Predictors of In Vivo Stressor Responding.

PubMed

Parsons, E Marie; Straub, Kelsey T; Smith, April R; Clerkin, Elise M

2017-06-01

This study tested the potential transdiagnostic nature of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and social anxiety disorder (SAD) beliefs, in addition to testing the specificity of those beliefs, in predicting how individuals responded to symptom-specific stressors. Participants included 127 adults (75% women) with a broad range of symptom severity. Path analysis was used to evaluate whether specific maladaptive beliefs predicted distress in response to symptom-relevant stressors over and above other beliefs and baseline distress. SAD beliefs emerged as a significant predictor of distress in response to a mirror gazing (BDD-relevant), a thought (OCD-relevant), and a public speaking (SAD-relevant) task, controlling for other disorder beliefs and baseline distress. BDD beliefs were also a robust predictor of BDD stressor responding. Results suggest that social anxiety-relevant beliefs may function as a transdiagnostic risk factor that predicts in vivo symptoms across a range of problem areas.

Heart rate variation and electroencephalograph--the potential physiological factors for thermal comfort study.

PubMed

Yao, Y; Lian, Z; Liu, W; Jiang, C; Liu, Y; Lu, H

2009-04-01

Human thermal comfort researches mainly focus on the relation between the environmental factors (e.g. ambient temperature, air humidity, and air velocity, etc.) and the thermal comfort sensation based on a large amount of subjective field investigations. Although some physiological factors, such as skin temperature and metabolism were used in many thermal comfort models,they are not enough to establish a perfect thermal comfort model. In this paper,another two physiological factors, i.e. heart rate variation (HRV) and electroencephalograph (EEG), are explored for the thermal comfort study. Experiments were performed to investigate how these physiological factors respond to the environmental temperatures, and what is the relationship between HRV and EEG and thermal comfort. The experimental results indicate that HRV and EEG may be related to thermal comfort, and they may be useful to understand the mechanism of thermal comfort.

The Conscientious Responders Scale Helps Researchers Verify the Integrity of Personality Questionnaire Data.

PubMed

Marjanovic, Zdravko; Bajkov, Lisa; MacDonald, Jennifer

2018-01-01

The Conscientious Responders Scale is a five-item embeddable validity scale that differentiates between conscientious and indiscriminate responding in personality-questionnaire data (CR & IR). This investigation presents further evidence of its validity and generalizability across two experiments. Study 1 tests its sensitivity to questionnaire length, a known cause of IR, and tries to provoke IR by manipulating psychological reactance. As expected, short questionnaires produced higher Conscientious Responders Scale scores than long questionnaires, and Conscientious Responders Scale scores were unaffected by reactance manipulations. Study 2 tests concerns that the Conscientious Responders Scale's unusual item content could potentially irritate and baffle responders, ironically increasing rates of IR. We administered two nearly identical questionnaires: one with an embedded Conscientious Responders Scale and one without the Conscientious Responders Scale. Psychometric comparisons revealed no differences across questionnaires' means, variances, interitem response consistencies, and Cronbach's alphas. In sum, the Conscientious Responders Scale is highly sensitive to questionnaire length-a known correlate of IR-and can be embedded harmlessly in questionnaires without provoking IR or changing the psychometrics of other measures.

Human factors in waste management - potential and reality

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Thompson, J.S.

There is enormous potential for human factors contributions in the realm of waste management. The reality, however, is very different from the potential. This is particularly true for low-level and low-level mixed-waste management. The hazards are less severe; therefore, health and safety requirements (including human factors) are not as rigorous as for high-level waste. High-level waste management presents its own unique challenges and opportunities. Waste management is strongly driven by regulatory compliance. When regulations are flexible and open to interpretation and the environment is driven so strongly by regulatory compliance, standard practice is to drop {open_quotes}nice to have{close_quotes} features, likemore » a human factors program, to save money for complying with other requirements. The challenge is to convince decision makers that human factors can help make operations efficient and cost-effective, as well as improving safety and complying with regulations. A human factors program should not be viewed as competing with compliance efforts; in fact, it should complement them and provide additional cost-effective means of achieving compliance with other regulations. Achieving this synergy of human factors with ongoing waste management operations requires educating program and facility managers and other technical specialists about human factors and demonstrating its value {open_quotes}through the back door{close_quotes} on existing efforts. This paper describes ongoing projects at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in support of their waste management groups. It includes lessons learned from hazard and risk analyses, safety analysis reports, job and task analyses, operating procedure development, personnel qualification/certification program development, and facility- and job-specific training program and course development.« less

Incubation of extinction responding and cue-induced reinstatement, but not context- or drug priming-induced reinstatement, after withdrawal from methamphetamine.

PubMed

Adhikary, Sweta; Caprioli, Daniele; Venniro, Marco; Kallenberger, Paige; Shaham, Yavin; Bossert, Jennifer M

2017-07-01

In rats trained to self-administer methamphetamine, extinction responding in the presence of drug-associated contextual and discrete cues progressively increases after withdrawal (incubation of methamphetamine craving). The conditioning factors underlying this incubation are unknown. Here, we studied incubation of methamphetamine craving under different experimental conditions to identify factors contributing to this incubation. We also determined whether the rats' response to methamphetamine priming incubates after withdrawal. We trained rats to self-administer methamphetamine in a distinct context (context A) for 14 days (6 hours/day). Lever presses were paired with a discrete light cue. We then tested groups of rats in context A or a different non-drug context (context B) after 1 day, 1 week or 1 month for extinction responding with or without the discrete cue. Subsequently, we tested the rats for reinstatement of drug seeking induced by exposure to contextual, discrete cue, or drug priming (0, 0.25 and 0.5 mg/kg). Operant responding in the extinction sessions in contexts A or B was higher after 1 week and 1 month of withdrawal than after 1 day; this effect was context-independent. Independent of the withdrawal period, operant responding in the extinction sessions was higher when responding led to contingent delivery of the discrete cue. After extinction, discrete cue-induced reinstatement, but not context- or drug priming-induced reinstatement, progressively increased after withdrawal. Together, incubation of methamphetamine craving, as assessed in extinction tests, is primarily mediated by time-dependent increases in non-reinforced operant responding, and this effect is potentiated by exposure to discrete, but not contextual, cues. Published 2016. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Mischievous responding in Internet Gaming Disorder research

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

The most recent update to the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) included Internet Gaming Disorder as a new potential psychiatric condition that merited further scientific study. The present research was conducted in response to the APA Substance-Related Disorders Working Group’s research call to estimate the extent to which mischievous responding—a known problematic pattern of participant self-report responding in questionnaires—is relevant to Internet Gaming Disorder research. In line with a registered sampling and analysis plan, findings from two studies (ntot = 11,908) provide clear evidence that mischievous responding is positively associated with the number of Internet Gaming Disorder indicators participants report. Results are discussed in the context of ongoing problem gaming research and the discussion provides recommendations for improving the quality of scientific practice in this area. PMID:27672496

Recombinant Human Acidic Fibroblast Growth Factor (aFGF) Expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana Potentially Inhibits Skin Photoaging.

PubMed

Ha, Jang-Ho; Kim, Ha-Neul; Moon, Ki-Beom; Jeon, Jae-Heung; Jung, Dai-Hyun; Kim, Su-Jung; Mason, Hugh S; Shin, Seo-Yeon; Kim, Hyun-Soon; Park, Kyung-Mok

2017-07-01

Responding to the need for recombinant acidic fibroblast growth factor in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, we established a scalable expression system for recombinant human aFGF using transient and a DNA replicon vector expression in Nicotiana benthamiana . Recombinant human-acidic fibroblast growth factor was recovered following Agrobacterium infiltration of N. benthamiana . The optimal time point at which to harvest recombinant human acidic fibroblast growth factor expressing leaves was found to be 4 days post-infiltration, before necrosis was evident. Commassie-stained SDS-PAGE gels of His-tag column eluates, concentrated using a 10 000 molecular weight cut-off column, showed an intense band at the expected molecular weight for recombinant human acidic fibroblast growth factor. An immunoblot confirmed that this band was recombinant human acidic fibroblast growth factor. Up to 10 µg recombinant human-acidic fibroblast growth factor/g of fresh leaves were achieved by a simple affinity purification protocol using protein extract from the leaves of agroinfiltrated N. benthamiana . The purified recombinant human acidic fibroblast growth factor improved the survival rate of UVB-irradiated HaCaT and CCD-986sk cells approximately 89 and 81 %, respectively. N. benthamiana -derived recombinant human acidic fibroblast growth factor showed similar effects on skin cell proliferation and UVB protection compared to those of Escherichia coli -derived recombinant human acidic fibroblast growth factor. Additionally, N. benthamiana- derived recombinant human acidic fibroblast growth factor increased type 1 procollagen synthesis up to 30 % as well as reduced UVB-induced intracellular reactive oxygen species generation in fibroblast (CCD-986sk) cells.UVB is a well-known factor that causes various types of skin damage and premature aging. Therefore, the present study demonstrated that N. benthamiana -derived recombinant human acidic fibroblast growth factor

Cost per responder of TNF-α therapies in Germany.

PubMed

Gissel, Christian; Repp, Holger

2013-12-01

Tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) inhibitors ranked highest in German pharmaceutical expenditure in 2011. Their most important application is the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Our objective is to analyze cost per responder of TNF-α inhibitors for RA from the German Statutory Health Insurance funds' perspective. We aim to conduct the analysis based on randomized comparative effectiveness studies of the relevant treatments for the German setting. For inclusion of effectiveness studies, we require results in terms of response rates as defined by European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) or American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria. We identify conventional triple therapy as the relevant comparator. We calculate cost per responder based on German direct medical costs. Direct clinical comparisons could be identified for both etanercept and infliximab compared to triple therapy. For infliximab, cost per responder was 216,392 euros for ACR50 and 432,784 euros for ACR70 responses. For etanercept, cost per ACR70 responder was 321,527 euros. Cost was lower for response defined by EULAR criteria, but data was only available for infliximab. Cost per responder is overestimated by 40% due to inclusion of taxes and mandatory rebates in German drugs' list prices. Our analysis shows specific requirements for cost-effectiveness analysis in Germany. Cost per responder for TNF-α treatment in the German setting is more than double the cost estimated in a similar analysis for the USA, which measured against placebo. The difference in results shows the critical role of the correct comparator for a specific setting.

Field Sandbur (Cenchrus pauciflorus) Seeds in the Same Bur Respond Differently to Temperature and Water Potential in Relation to Germination in a Semi-Arid Environment, China

PubMed Central

Bai, Yuguang; Liu, Huifang; Niu, Xueli; Wang, Zhiwei; Wang, Qian

2016-01-01

The success of a biological invasion relies on the environment and is closely linked to factors such as water and temperature. Invasive plant species display different seed characteristics, including shape. Field sandbur (Cenchrus pauciflorus) is a globally widespread invasive species capable of adapting to broad environmental conditions. However, its germination response to water and temperature still remains unclear. C. pauciflorus contains two seeds in the same bur that differ in size: big seeds (M) and small seeds (P). Separate greenhouse experiments were conducted under different temperature regimes (0/10°C, 5/15°C, 10/20°C, 15/25°C, 18/28°C, 20/30°C and 25/35°C) and water potentials (-1.50Mpa, -1.00Mpa, -0.75Mpa, -0.50Mpa, -0.25Mpa and 0Mpa) for M and P seeds. The results support the hypothesis that germination of C. pauciflorus is significantly influenced by seed type, temperature and water potential. M and P seeds responded differently to varied alternative temperatures and water potentials. However, M and P seeds were more sensitive to water potential than to temperature. Optimal conditions for M and P seed germination were measured at 25/35°C (night temperature/day temperature) and 20/30°C, respectively. In contrast, the highest germination rate was observed for the 0Mpa of the water potential treatment. Additionally, base temperature (Tbase) and base water potential (Wbase) were lower for M (7.7°C, -1.11Mpa at 10/20°C, and -1.07Mpa at 20/30°C) than for P (9.4°C, -0.92Mpa at 10/20°C, and -0.52Mpa at 20/30°C). These different germination strategies of M and P seeds with respect to temperature and water potential increased overall plant propagation. These results indicate that tropical and subtropical regions water potentials beyond -0.50Mpa (10/20°C) or -1.00Mpa (20/30°C) face a potential risk of C. pauciflorus invasion. PMID:27992496

Recognizing and responding to uncertainty: a grounded theory of nurses' uncertainty.

PubMed

Cranley, Lisa A; Doran, Diane M; Tourangeau, Ann E; Kushniruk, Andre; Nagle, Lynn

2012-08-01

There has been little research to date exploring nurses' uncertainty in their practice. Understanding nurses' uncertainty is important because it has potential implications for how care is delivered. The purpose of this study is to develop a substantive theory to explain how staff nurses experience and respond to uncertainty in their practice. Between 2006 and 2008, a grounded theory study was conducted that included in-depth semi-structured interviews. Fourteen staff nurses working in adult medical-surgical intensive care units at two teaching hospitals in Ontario, Canada, participated in the study. The theory recognizing and responding to uncertainty characterizes the processes through which nurses' uncertainty manifested and how it was managed. Recognizing uncertainty involved the processes of assessing, reflecting, questioning, and/or being unable to predict aspects of the patient situation. Nurses' responses to uncertainty highlighted the cognitive-affective strategies used to manage uncertainty. Study findings highlight the importance of acknowledging uncertainty and having collegial support to manage uncertainty. The theory adds to our understanding the processes involved in recognizing uncertainty, strategies and outcomes of managing uncertainty, and influencing factors. Tailored nursing education programs should be developed to assist nurses in developing skills in articulating and managing their uncertainty. Further research is needed to extend, test and refine the theory of recognizing and responding to uncertainty to develop strategies for managing uncertainty. This theory advances the nursing perspective of uncertainty in clinical practice. The theory is relevant to nurses who are faced with uncertainty and complex clinical decisions, to managers who support nurses in their clinical decision-making, and to researchers who investigate ways to improve decision-making and care delivery. ©2012 Sigma Theta Tau International.

One gravitational potential or two? Forecasts and tests.

PubMed

Bertschinger, Edmund

2011-12-28

The metric of a perturbed Robertson-Walker space-time is characterized by three functions: a scale-factor giving the expansion history and two potentials that generalize the single potential of Newtonian gravity. The Newtonian potential induces peculiar velocities and, from these, the growth of matter fluctuations. Massless particles respond equally to the Newtonian potential and to a curvature potential. The difference of the two potentials, called the gravitational slip, is predicted to be very small in general relativity, but can be substantial in modified gravity theories. The two potentials can be measured, and gravity tested on cosmological scales, by combining weak gravitational lensing or the integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect with galaxy peculiar velocities or clustering.

Enhancing Academic Engagement: Providing Opportunities for Responding and Influencing Students to Choose to Respond

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Skinner, Christopher H.; Pappas, Danielle N.; Davis, Kai A.

2005-01-01

Although educators often provide opportunities for students to engage in active academic responding, in many situations, students either cannot or will not respond. In the current article, we analyze the reasons students fail to respond. Practical procedures educators can use to prevent "can't do" problems are provided. "Won't do" problems are…

Comment on 'Hy-wire measurements of atmospheric potential' by R. H. Holzworth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Markson, R.

1984-01-01

It is shown that the Hy-wire fluctuations in atmospheric potential measured by Holzworth (1983) were not changes in the global circuit. The close association between the Hy-wire potential variations and meteorological changes, as well as the lack of correlation between the potential and the Carnegie curve, indicates that the tethered balloon measurements were responding to local meteorological factors. The abnormally high potentials and the reversed curvature of the potential profiles suggest that the Hy-wire apparatus was not measuring atmospheric potentials accurately.

22 CFR 1006.1000 - Respondent.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 true Respondent. 1006.1000 Section 1006.1000 Foreign Relations INTER-AMERICAN FOUNDATION GOVERNMENTWIDE DEBARMENT AND SUSPENSION (NONPROCUREMENT) Definitions § 1006.1000 Respondent. Respondent means a person against whom an agency has initiated a debarment or...

29 CFR 1471.1000 - Respondent.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Respondent. 1471.1000 Section 1471.1000 Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) FEDERAL MEDIATION AND CONCILIATION SERVICE GOVERNMENTWIDE DEBARMENT AND SUSPENSION (NONPROCUREMENT) Definitions § 1471.1000 Respondent. Respondent means a person against whom an...

22 CFR 1508.1000 - Respondent.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 true Respondent. 1508.1000 Section 1508.1000 Foreign Relations AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION GOVERNMENTWIDE DEBARMENT AND SUSPENSION (NONPROCUREMENT) Definitions § 1508.1000 Respondent. Respondent means a person against whom an agency has initiated a debarment...

Different gene-specific mechanisms determine the 'revised-response' memory transcription patterns of a subset of A. thaliana dehydration stress responding genes.

PubMed

Liu, Ning; Ding, Yong; Fromm, Michael; Avramova, Zoya

2014-05-01

Plants that have experienced several exposures to dehydration stress show increased resistance to future exposures by producing faster and/or stronger reactions, while many dehydration stress responding genes in Arabidopsis thaliana super-induce their transcription as a 'memory' from the previous encounter. A previously unknown, rather unusual, memory response pattern is displayed by a subset of the dehydration stress response genes. Despite robustly responding to a first stress, these genes return to their initial, pre-stressed, transcript levels during the watered recovery; surprisingly, they do not respond further to subsequent stresses of similar magnitude and duration. This transcriptional behavior defines the 'revised-response' memory genes. Here, we investigate the molecular mechanisms regulating this transcription memory behavior. Potential roles of abscisic acid (ABA), of transcription factors (TFs) from the ABA signaling pathways (ABF2/3/4 and MYC2), and of histone modifications (H3K4me3 and H3K27me3) as factors in the revised-response transcription memory patterns are elucidated. We identify the TF MYC2 as the critical component for the memory behavior of a specific subset of MYC2-dependent genes. © The Author(s) 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

29 CFR 98.1000 - Respondent.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Respondent. 98.1000 Section 98.1000 Labor Office of the Secretary of Labor GOVERNMENTWIDE DEBARMENT AND SUSPENSION (NONPROCUREMENT) Definitions § 98.1000 Respondent. Respondent means a person against whom an agency has initiated a debarment or suspension action. ...

21 CFR 1404.1000 - Respondent.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 9 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Respondent. 1404.1000 Section 1404.1000 Food and Drugs OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY GOVERNMENTWIDE DEBARMENT AND SUSPENSION (NONPROCUREMENT) Definitions § 1404.1000 Respondent. Respondent means a person against whom an agency has initiated a debarment...

Amitriptyline converts non-responders into responders to low-frequency electroacupuncture-induced analgesia in rats.

PubMed

Fais, Rafael S; Reis, G M; Rossaneis, A C; Silveira, J W S; Dias, Q M; Prado, W A

2012-07-26

The purpose of this study was to examine whether the use of intraperitoneal or intrathecal amitriptyline combined with electroacupuncture modifies the tail-flick reflex and incision pain in rats that normally do not have analgesia to electroacupuncture in the tail-flick test (non-responder rats). Changes in the nociceptive threshold of intraperitoneal or intrathecal saline- or amitriptyline-treated non-responder rats were evaluated using the tail-flick or incision pain tests before, during and after a 20-min period of electroacupuncture, applied at 2 Hz to the Zusanli and Sanynjiao acupoints. Amitriptyline was used at doses of 0.8 mg/kg or 30 μg/kg by intraperitoneal or intrathecal route, respectively. At these doses, amitriptyline has no effect against thermal or incision pain in rats. Rats selected as non-responders to the analgesic effect of electroacupuncture 2 Hz in tail-flick and incision pain tests become responders after an intraperitoneal or intrathecal injection of amitriptyline. Amitriptyline converts non-responder rats to rats that respond to electroacupuncture with analgesia in a model of thermal phasic pain and anti-hyperalgesia in a model of incision pain. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Asthma among World Trade Center First Responders: A Qualitative Synthesis and Bias Assessment.

PubMed

Kim, Hyun; Baidwan, Navneet Kaur; Kriebel, David; Cifuentes, Manuel; Baron, Sherry

2018-05-23

The World Trade Center (WTC) disaster exposed the responders to several hazards. Three cohorts i.e., the Fire Department of New York (FDNY), the General Responder Cohort (GRC), and the WTC Health Registry (WTCHR) surveyed the exposed responder population. We searched Pubmed and Web of Science for literature on a well-published association between the WTC exposures and asthma, focusing on new-onset self-reported physician-diagnosed asthma. The resulting five articles were qualitatively assessed for potential biases. These papers were independently reviewed by the co-authors, and conclusions were derived after discussions. While, the cohorts had well-defined eligibility criteria, they lacked information about the entire exposed population. We conclude that selection and surveillance biases may have occurred in the GRC and WTCHR cohorts, but were likely to have been minimal in the FDNY cohort. Health care benefits available to responders may have increased the reporting of both exposure and outcome in the former, and decreased outcome reporting in the FDNY cohort. Irrespective of the biases, the studies showed similar findings, confirming the association between WTC exposure and self-reported physician-diagnosed asthma among responders. This suggests that health data gathered under great duress and for purposes other than epidemiology can yield sound conclusions. Potential biases can, however, be minimized by having validated survey instruments and worker registries in place before events occur.

Evidence and potential risk factors of tuberculosis among captive Asian elephants and wildlife staff in Peninsular Malaysia.

PubMed

Yakubu, Yusuf; Ong, Bee Lee; Zakaria, Zunita; Hassan, Latiffah; Mutalib, Abdul Rahim; Ngeow, Yun Fong; Verasahib, Khebir; Razak, Mohd Firdaus Ariff Abdul

2016-03-01

Elephant tuberculosis (TB) caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis is an important re-emerging zoonosis with considerable conservation and public health risk. We conducted prospective cohort and cross-sectional studies in elephants and wildlife staff respectively in order to identify potential risk factors associated with TB in captive Asian elephants and their handlers in Peninsular Malaysia. Sixty elephants in six different facilities were screened for TB longitudinally using the ElephantTB STAT-PAK and DPP VetTB assays from February 2012 to May 2014, and 149 wildlife staff were examined for tuberculosis infection using the QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-tube (QFT) assay from January to April, 2012. Information on potential risk factors associated with infection in both elephants and staff were collected using questionnaires and facility records. The overall seroprevalence of TB amongst the elephants was 23.3% (95% CI: 13.8-36.3) and the risk of seroconversion was significantly higher among elephants with assigned mahouts [p=0.022, OR=4.9 (95% CI: 1.3-18.2)]. The percentage of QFT responders among wildlife staff was 24.8% (95% CI: 18.3-32.7) and the risk of infection was observed to be significantly associated with being a zoo employee [p=0.018, OR=2.7 (95% CI: 1.2-6.3)] or elephant handler [p=0.035, OR=4.1 (95% CI: 1.1-15.5)]. These findings revealed a potential risk of TB infection in captive elephants and handlers in Malaysia, and emphasize the need for TB screening of newly acquired elephants, isolating sero-positive elephants and performing further diagnostic tests to determine their infection status, and screening elephant handlers for TB, pre- and post-employment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Emergency responders' critical infrared (ERCI)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konsin, Larry S.

2004-08-01

Emergency Responders (Fire, Police, Medical, and Emergency Management) face a high risk of injury or death. Even before September 11, 2001, public and private organizations have been driven to better protect Emergency Responders through education, training and improved technology. Recent research on Emergency Responder safety, health risks, and personal protective requirements, shows infrared (IR) imaging as a critical need. Today"s Emergency Responders are increasingly challenged to do more, facing demands requiring technological assistance and/or solutions. Since the introduction of Fire Service IR imaging in the mid 1990s, applications have increased. Emergency response IR is no longer just seeing through smoke to find victims or the seat of a fire. Many more mission critical needs now exist across the broad spectrum of emergency response. At the same time, Emergency Responder injuries and deaths are increasing. The Office of Domestic Preparedness (ODP) has also recognized IR imaging as critical in protecting our communities -- and in preventing many of the injuries and deaths of Emergency Responders. Currently, only 25% of all fire departments (or less than 7% of individual firefighters) have IR imaging. Availability to Police, EMS and Emergency Management is even lower. Without ERCI, Emergency Responders and our communities are at risk.

Prognosis and cost-effectiveness of IVF in poor responders according to the Bologna Criteria.

PubMed

Busnelli, Andrea; Somigliana, Edgardo

2018-02-01

Poor ovarian response (POR) to controlled ovarian hyperstimulation for in vitro fertilization (IVF) is one of the most challenging issue in the field of reproductive medicine. However, even if improving IVF outcome in poor responders (PORs) represents a main priority, the lack of a unique definition of POR has hampered research in this area. In order to overcome this impediment, an ESHRE Campus Workshop was organized in Bologna in 2010 and reached a consensus on the criteria for the diagnosis of POR ("Bologna Criteria"). In this review we aimed to estimate the prognostic potential of the ESHRE definition, to elucidate its possible weaknesses and to analyze the economic aspects of IVF in a population of poor responders (PORs). Available evidence confirmed that the Bologna criteria are able to select a population with a poor IVF prognosis thus supporting their validity. Nonetheless, different aspects of the definition have been criticized. The main points of debate concern the homogeneity of the population identified, the cut-off values chosen for the ovarian reserve tests and the risks factors other than age associated with POR. Data concerning the economic profile of IVF in PORs are scanty. The only published study on the argument showed that IVF in these cases is not cost-effective. However, considering the potential substantial impact of cost-effectiveness analyses on public health policies, there is the need for further and independent validations.

Multiple NUCLEAR FACTOR Y transcription factors respond to abiotic stress in Brassica napus L.

PubMed

Xu, Li; Lin, Zhongyuan; Tao, Qing; Liang, Mingxiang; Zhao, Gengmao; Yin, Xiangzhen; Fu, Ruixin

2014-01-01

Members of the plant NUCLEAR FACTOR Y (NF-Y) family are composed of the NF-YA, NF-YB, and NF-YC subunits. In Brassica napus (canola), each of these subunits forms a multimember subfamily. Plant NF-Ys were reported to be involved in several abiotic stresses. In this study, we demonstrated that multiple members of thirty three BnNF-Ys responded rapidly to salinity, drought, or ABA treatments. Transcripts of five BnNF-YAs, seven BnNF-YBs, and two BnNF-YCs were up-regulated by salinity stress, whereas the expression of thirteen BnNF-YAs, ten BnNF-YBs, and four BnNF-YCs were induced by drought stress. Under NaCl treatments, the expression of one BnNF-YA10 and four NF-YBs (BnNF-YB3, BnNF-YB7, BnNF-YB10, and BnNF-YB14) were greatly increased. Under PEG treatments, the expression levels of four NF-YAs (BnNF-YA9, BnNF-YA10, BnNF-YA11, and BnNF-YA12) and five NF-YBs (BnNF-YB1, BnNF-YB8, BnNF-YB10, BnNF-YB13, and BnNF-YB14) were greatly induced. The expression profiles of 20 of the 27 salinity- or drought-induced BnNF-Ys were also affected by ABA treatment. The expression levels of six NF-YAs (BnNF-YA1, BnNF-YA7, BnNF-YA8, BnNF-YA9, BnNF-YA10, and BnNF-YA12) and seven BnNF-YB members (BnNF-YB2, BnNF-YB3, BnNF-YB7, BnNF-YB10, BnNF-YB11, BnNF-YB13, and BnNF-YB14) and two NF-YC members (BnNF-YC2 and BnNF-YC3) were greatly up-regulated by ABA treatments. Only a few BnNF-Ys were inhibited by the above three treatments. Several NF-Y subfamily members exhibited collinear expression patterns. The promoters of all stress-responsive BnNF-Ys harbored at least two types of stress-related cis-elements, such as ABRE, DRE, MYB, or MYC. The cis-element organization of BnNF-Ys was similar to that of Arabidopsis thaliana, and the promoter regions exhibited higher levels of nucleotide sequence identity with Brassica rapa than with Brassica oleracea. This work represents an entry point for investigating the roles of canola NF-Y proteins during abiotic stress responses and provides insight into

Brain Changes in Responders vs. Non-Responders in Chronic Migraine: Markers of Disease Reversal

PubMed Central

Hubbard, Catherine S.; Becerra, Lino; Smith, Jonathan H.; DeLange, Justin M.; Smith, Ryan M.; Black, David F.; Welker, Kirk M.; Burstein, Rami; Cutrer, Fred M.; Borsook, David

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to identify structural and functional brain changes that accompanied the transition from chronic (CM; ≥15 headache days/month) to episodic (EM; <15 headache days/month) migraine following prophylactic treatment with onabotulinumtoxinA (BoNT-A). Specifically, we examined whether CM patients responsive to prophylaxis (responders; n = 11), as evidenced by a reversal in disease status (defined by at least a 50% reduction in migraine frequency and <15 headache days/month), compared to CM patients whose migraine frequency remained unchanged (non-responders; n = 12), showed differences in cortical thickness using surface-based morphometry. We also investigated whether areas showing group differences in cortical thickness displayed altered resting-state functional connectivity (RS-FC) using seed-to-voxel analyses. Migraine characteristics measured across groups included disease duration, pain intensity and headache frequency. Patient reports of headache frequency over the 4 weeks prior to (pre-treatment) and following (post-treatment) prophylaxis were compared (post minus pre) and this measure served as the clinical endpoint that determined group assignment. All patients were scanned within 2 weeks of the post-treatment visit. Results revealed that responders showed significant cortical thickening in the right primary somatosensory cortex (SI) and anterior insula (aINS), and left superior temporal gyrus (STG) and pars opercularis (ParsOp) compared to non-responders. In addition, disease duration was negatively correlated with cortical thickness in fronto-parietal and temporo-occipital regions in responders but not non-responders, with the exception of the primary motor cortex (MI) that showed the opposite pattern; disease duration was positively associated with MI cortical thickness in responders versus non-responders. Our seed-based RS-FC analyses revealed anti-correlations between the SI seed and lateral occipital (LOC) and dorsomedial

Responding to Patients' Concerns.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henrich, Ann P.; Bernheim, Kayla F.

1981-01-01

Discusses a staff development program for nurses at an acute care hospital, aimed at responding to patient comments. Elements included (1) listening skills before training, (2) a formula to help nurses respond empathetically, (3) a pre- and posttest, (4) a followup class, and (5) program evaluation. (CT)

Compulsive-like responding for opioid analgesics in rats with extended access.

PubMed

Wade, Carrie L; Vendruscolo, Leandro F; Schlosburg, Joel E; Hernandez, Daniel O; Koob, George F

2015-01-01

The abuse of prescription opioids that are used for the treatment of chronic pain is a major public health concern, costing ∼$53.4 billion annually in lost wages, health-care costs, and criminal costs. Although opioids remain a first-line therapy for the treatment of severe chronic pain, practitioners remain cautious because of the potential for abuse and addiction. Opioids such as heroin are considered very rewarding and reinforcing, but direct and systematic comparisons of compulsive intake between commonly prescribed opioids and heroin in animal models have not yet been performed. In the present study, we evaluated the potential for compulsive-like drug seeking and taking, using intravenous self-administration of oxycodone, fentanyl, and buprenorphine in rats allowed long access sessions (12 h). We measured compulsive-like intake using an established escalation model and responding on a progressive ratio schedule of reinforcement. We compared the potential for compulsive-like self-administration of these prescription opioids and heroin, which has been previously established to induce increasing intake that models the transition to addiction in humans. We found that animals that self-administered oxycodone, fentanyl, or heroin, but not buprenorphine had similar profiles of escalation and increases in breakpoints. The use of extended access models of prescription opioid intake will help better understand the biological factors that underlie opioid dependence.

37 CFR 41.68 - Respondent's brief.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 37 Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Respondent's brief. 41.68... Respondent's brief. (a)(1) Respondent(s) in an appeal may once, within the time limit for filing set forth in... title. (2) The brief must be signed by the party, or the party's duly authorized attorney or agent, and...

Challenges in Responding to Scaffolding Opportunities in the Mathematics Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferguson, Sarah

2012-01-01

This paper reports on a study that explored the use of cognitively challenging tasks with low-attaining mathematics students and in particular, their teachers' attempts at scaffolding. A major finding was that responding appropriately to scaffolding opportunities was challenging for the teachers. In this paper two main factors are discussed which…

Empathy-related responding and prosocial behaviour.

PubMed

Eisenberg, Nancy

2007-01-01

In this paper I differentiate among empathy, sympathy and personal distress and discuss the central role of empathy-related responding in positive (including moral) development. Empathy-related responding, especially sympathy, is likely an important source of prosocial, other-oriented motivation. In fact, empathy-related responding, especially sympathy, has been associated with prosocial behaviour (voluntary behaviour intended to benefit another, e.g. helping, sharing); this relation has been obtained for both specific instances of empathy-related responding and for dispositional sympathy. In addition, sympathy (or sometimes empathy) has been linked to relatively high levels of moral reasoning and social competence, and to low levels of aggression and antisocial behaviour. In my talk, I will review research on the relation of empathy-related responding to prosocial behaviour, the consistency of costly prosocial behaviour over time and the possible role of sympathy in its consistency, and the relation of empathy-related responding to moral reasoning, antisocial behaviour and social competence. Examples of research, including longitudinal research in our laboratory, are provided to illustrate these relations. Because of its close relations to social and prosocial responding, an understanding of empathy-related responding contributes to efforts to promote children's moral development.

Characterization of Chemical Suicides in the United States and Its Adverse Impact on Responders and Bystanders

PubMed Central

Anderson, Ayana R.

2016-01-01

Introduction A suicide trend that involves mixing household chemicals to produce hydrogen sulfide or hydrogen cyanide, commonly referred to as a detergent, hydrogen sulfide, or chemical suicide is a continuing problem in the United States (U.S.). Because there is not one database responsible for tracking chemical suicides, the actual number of incidents in the U.S. is unknown. To prevent morbidity and mortality associated with chemical suicides, it is important to characterize the incidents that have occurred in the U.S. Methods The author analyzed data from 2011–2013 from state health departments participating in the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry’s National Toxic Substance Incidents Program (NTSIP). NTSIP is a web-based chemical incident surveillance system that tracks the public health consequences (e.g., morbidity, mortality) from acute chemical releases. Reporting sources for NTSIP incidents typically include first responders, hospitals, state environmental agencies, and media outlets. To find chemical suicide incidents in NTSIP’s database, the author queried open text fields in the comment, synopsis, and contributing factors variables for potential incidents. Results Five of the nine states participating in NTSIP reported a total of 22 chemical suicide incidents or attempted suicides during 2011–2013. These states reported a total of 43 victims: 15 suicide victims who died, seven people who attempted suicide but survived, eight responders, and four employees working at a coroner’s office; the remainder were members of the general public. None of the injured responders reported receiving HazMat technician-level training, and none had documented appropriate personal protective equipment. Conclusion Chemical suicides produce lethal gases that can pose a threat to responders and bystanders. Describing the characteristics of these incidents can help raise awareness among responders and the public about the dangers of chemical suicides

24 CFR 103.202 - Notification of respondent; joinder of additional or substitute respondents.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

....42, the Assistant Secretary will serve a notice on each respondent by certified mail or by personal service. A person who is not named as a respondent in a complaint, but who is identified in the course of... Regulations Relating to Housing and Urban Development OFFICE OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR EQUAL OPPORTUNITY...

24 CFR 103.202 - Notification of respondent; joinder of additional or substitute respondents.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

....42, the Assistant Secretary will serve a notice on each respondent by certified mail or by personal service. A person who is not named as a respondent in a complaint, but who is identified in the course of... Regulations Relating to Housing and Urban Development OFFICE OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR EQUAL OPPORTUNITY...

24 CFR 103.202 - Notification of respondent; joinder of additional or substitute respondents.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

....42, the Assistant Secretary will serve a notice on each respondent by certified mail or by personal service. A person who is not named as a respondent in a complaint, but who is identified in the course of... Regulations Relating to Housing and Urban Development OFFICE OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR EQUAL OPPORTUNITY...

24 CFR 103.202 - Notification of respondent; joinder of additional or substitute respondents.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

....42, the Assistant Secretary will serve a notice on each respondent by certified mail or by personal service. A person who is not named as a respondent in a complaint, but who is identified in the course of... Regulations Relating to Housing and Urban Development OFFICE OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR EQUAL OPPORTUNITY...

24 CFR 103.202 - Notification of respondent; joinder of additional or substitute respondents.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

....42, the Assistant Secretary will serve a notice on each respondent by certified mail or by personal service. A person who is not named as a respondent in a complaint, but who is identified in the course of... Regulations Relating to Housing and Urban Development OFFICE OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR EQUAL OPPORTUNITY...

N-acetylcysteine potentiates platelet inhibition by endothelium-derived relaxing factor.

PubMed

Stamler, J; Mendelsohn, M E; Amarante, P; Smick, D; Andon, N; Davies, P F; Cooke, J P; Loscalzo, J

1989-09-01

Recent evidence suggests that endothelium-derived relaxing factor exhibits properties of nitric oxide. Like nitric oxide, it inhibits platelet function and mediates its effects by elevating intracellular cyclic GMP. In this study we have investigated the role of reduced thiol in the mechanism of action of endothelium-derived relaxing factor on platelets. Bovine aortic endothelial cells were grown on microcarrier beads and pretreated with aspirin before use. Endothelial cells stimulated with bradykinin or exposed to stirred medium expressed a dose-dependent inhibition of platelet aggregation that was potentiated by the reduced thiol, N-acetylcysteine. Endothelial cell-mediated platelet inhibition was attenuated by methylene blue. Inhibition of platelet aggregation by endothelial cells was associated with a rise in platelet intracellular cyclic GMP, an effect that was enhanced by N-acetylcysteine. These data show that 1) the reduced thiol N-acetylcysteine potentiates platelet inhibition by endothelium-derived relaxing factor and 2) this effect is associated with increasing intracellular platelet cyclic GMP levels.

Role of motivation to respond to provocation, the social environment, and trait aggression in alcohol-related aggression.

PubMed

Tremblay, Paul F; Mihic, Ljiljana; Graham, Kathryn; Jelley, Jennifer

2007-01-01

Little attention has been paid to the motivation to respond to provocation and to the interaction between this motivation, alcohol, the drinking environment, and individual characteristics. Undergraduates at six Canadian universities (N = 1,232) read three vignettes describing conflict situations with social environmental manipulations while imagining themselves as either sober or intoxicated. Self-ratings assessed likelihood of assertive and aggressive responses and motivational indices of anger, offensiveness of the instigator's actions, and importance to respond to the provocation. Respondents also completed a measure of trait aggression. Multi-group structural equation models supported the hypothesis that perceived likelihood of reactive aggression is influenced by perceived alcohol intoxication, gender, trait aggression, social environmental factors, and motivation to respond to the provocation. In addition, a number of interactions were found among the predictors. These results provide insight into the types of factors that may influence aggression in drinking situations. Copyright 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Development and testing of responder : phase III.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-06-28

This report documents the research project Development and Testing of Responder Phase III. Under previous research, a Responder system has been developed to provide relevant and timely information to first responders, allow responders to provid...

How agricultural multiple ecosystem services respond to socioeconomic factors in Mengyin County, China.

PubMed

Chen, Yajuan; Yu, Zhenrong; Li, Xuedong; Li, Pengyao

2018-07-15

Provisioning services have always been the main focus of agriculture, and which have led to a decline in biodiversity and have damaged a number of other services. Agriculture should contribute to current and future food security while producing multiple ecosystem services (ES). Restoration outcomes of multiple ES were affected by different socioeconomic drivers, thus a better understanding of how multiple ES respond to socioeconomic drivers can help to restore multiple ES. This paper used rural people's perceptions of ES to quantify and map ecosystem service obtainment and demand in the Mengyin County, China. An integrative index of multiple ecosystem services (IMES) was used to effectively aggregate the values of multiple ES. The threat categorization framework is designed to communicate the degree to which the adequate and sustainable provision of multiple ES is threatened, in order to prioritize conservation actions. The results revealed that 6 townships in the Mengyin County exhibited an excessive obtainment situation (demand is less than obtainment) of multiple ES; an insufficient obtainment situation (demand is greater than obtainment) of multiple ES was mainly situated in the northern part of Mengyin County. Overall, the current state of multiple ES across Mengyin County is classified as "Endangered" classification according to application of threat categorization framework. It is necessary to restructure and manage socioeconomic factors for multiple ES. At national level, the macro decision-making (controlling population density) and the mechanisms (attracting high-quality human resources into the rural) will play an important role in promoting multiple ES management, and it is necessary to provide 3 or more years of tailored educational resources for rural residents to advance multiple ES in agricultural landscape. Development of agricultural PES programs in China that enable farmers to profit from production ES is a sustainable strategy for increasing

What Respondents Really Expect from Researchers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kolar, Tomaz; Kolar, Iztok

2008-01-01

This article addresses the issue of falling response rates in telephone surveys. To better understand and maintain respondent goodwill, concepts of psychological contract and respondent expectations are introduced and explored. Results of the qualitative study show that respondent expectations are not only socially contingent but also…

Who You Gonna Call? Responding to a Medical Emergency with the Strategic National Stockpile

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-06-01

pharmaceuticals. The logistical burden on the local and state responders who receive, dispense, and distribute the SNS is considerable. The time and...bulk drugs in the SNS are repackaged on- site , the labeling machines that accompany each of the push packs can be programmed to provide the required...burden on local responders , who already will be facing a significant task in dispensing the SNS materiel to a (potentially) large affected population

The Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding (BIDR): A Reliability Generalization Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Andrew; Bagger, Jessica

2007-01-01

The Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding (BIDR) is one of the most widely used social desirability scales. The authors conducted a reliability generalization study to examine the typical reliability coefficients of BIDR scores and explored factors that explained the variability of reliability estimates across studies. The results indicated…

Empathic Concern and the Desire to Help as Separable Components of Compassionate Responding.

PubMed

Ministero, Lauren M; Poulin, Michael J; Buffone, Anneke E K; DeLury, Shane

2018-04-01

When do people experience versus regulate responses to compassion-evoking stimuli? We hypothesized that compassionate responding is composed of two factors-empathic concern and the desire to help-and that these would be differentially affected by perspective taking and self-affirmation. Exploratory (Study 1) and confirmatory (Study 2) factor analyses indicated that a compassion measure consisted of two factors corresponding to empathic concern and the desire to help. In Study 1 ( N = 237), participants with high emotion regulation ability reported less empathic concern for multiple children than for one, but perspective taking prevented this effect. In Study 2 ( N = 155), participants reported less desire to help multiple children, but only in the presence of self-affirmation. In both the studies, empathic concern predicted greater distress while the desire to help predicted greater chances of donating. Compassionate responding may consist of two separable facets that collapse under distinct conditions and that predict distinct outcomes.

Redding Responder Field Test - UTC

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-10-30

This UTC project facilitated field testing and evaluation of the "Responder" system between Phases 1 and 2 of the Redding Responder Project, sponsored by the California Department of Transportation. A pilot system, with hardware purchased by Caltrans...

[Long term results of exclusive chemotherapy for glottic squamous cell carcinoma complete clinical responders after induction chemotherapy].

PubMed

Vachin, F; Hans, S; Atlan, D; Brasnu, D; Menard, M; Laccourreye, O

2004-06-01

To evaluate the long-term results of exclusive chemotherapy for T1-T3N0M0 glottic squamous cell carcinoma complete clinical responders after induction chemotherapy. Between 1985 and 2000, 69 patients with glottic squamous cell carcinoma complete clinical responders after induction chemotherapy were managed with exclusive chemotherapy at our department. Chemotherapy associated platinum and fluorouracil. This retrospective analysis evaluated actuarial survival, treatment morbidity, oncologic events and laryngeal preservation. Various independent factors were tested for potential correlation with survival and local recurrence. The 5-year Kaplan-Meier actuarial survival, local control, lymph node control estimate were 83,6%, 64,8%, 98,6% respectively. Chemotherapy never resulted in death. The 10-year actuarial metachronous second primary tumors estimate was 32%. The overall laryngeal preservation rate was 98,6%. Altogether our data and the review of the literature suggest that in patients achieving a complete clinical response after and induction based chemotherapy regimen, the completion of an exclusive chemotherapy regimen appears to be a valid alternative to the conventional use of radiotherapy or chemo-radiation protocols.

Buzz Factor or Innovation Potential: What Explains Cryptocurrencies’ Returns?

PubMed Central

Wang, Sha

2017-01-01

Cryptocurrencies have become increasingly popular since the introduction of bitcoin in 2009. In this paper, we identify factors associated with variations in cryptocurrencies’ market values. In the past, researchers argued that the “buzz” surrounding cryptocurrencies in online media explained their price variations. But this observation obfuscates the notion that cryptocurrencies, unlike fiat currencies, are technologies entailing a true innovation potential. By using, for the first time, a unique measure of innovation potential, we find that the latter is in fact the most important factor associated with increases in cryptocurrency returns. By contrast, we find that the buzz surrounding cryptocurrencies is negatively associated with returns after controlling for a variety of factors, such as supply growth and liquidity. Also interesting is our finding that a cryptocurrency’s association with fraudulent activity is not negatively associated with weekly returns—a result that further qualifies the media’s influence on cryptocurrencies. Finally, we find that an increase in supply is positively associated with weekly returns. Taken together, our findings show that cryptocurrencies do not behave like traditional currencies or commodities—unlike what most prior research has assumed—and depict an industry that is much more mature, and much less speculative, than has been implied by previous accounts. PMID:28085906

Buzz Factor or Innovation Potential: What Explains Cryptocurrencies' Returns?

PubMed

Wang, Sha; Vergne, Jean-Philippe

2017-01-01

Cryptocurrencies have become increasingly popular since the introduction of bitcoin in 2009. In this paper, we identify factors associated with variations in cryptocurrencies' market values. In the past, researchers argued that the "buzz" surrounding cryptocurrencies in online media explained their price variations. But this observation obfuscates the notion that cryptocurrencies, unlike fiat currencies, are technologies entailing a true innovation potential. By using, for the first time, a unique measure of innovation potential, we find that the latter is in fact the most important factor associated with increases in cryptocurrency returns. By contrast, we find that the buzz surrounding cryptocurrencies is negatively associated with returns after controlling for a variety of factors, such as supply growth and liquidity. Also interesting is our finding that a cryptocurrency's association with fraudulent activity is not negatively associated with weekly returns-a result that further qualifies the media's influence on cryptocurrencies. Finally, we find that an increase in supply is positively associated with weekly returns. Taken together, our findings show that cryptocurrencies do not behave like traditional currencies or commodities-unlike what most prior research has assumed-and depict an industry that is much more mature, and much less speculative, than has been implied by previous accounts.

Mecamylamine, dihydro-β-erythroidine, and dextromethorphan block conditioned responding evoked by the conditional stimulus effects of nicotine

PubMed Central

Struthers, Amanda M.; Wilkinson, Jamie L.; Dwoskin, Linda P.; Crooks, Peter A.; Bevins, Rick A.

2009-01-01

Current smokers express the desire to quit. However, the majority find it difficult to remain abstinent. As such, research efforts continually seek to develop more effective treatment. One such area of research involves the interoceptive stimulus effects of nicotine as either a discriminative stimulus in an operant drug discrimination task, or more recently as a conditional stimulus (CS) in a discriminated goal-tracking task. The present work investigated the potential role nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the CS effects of nicotine (0.4 mg/kg) using antagonists with differential selectivity for β2*, α7*, α6β2*, and α3β4* receptors. Methyllycaconitine (MLA) had no effect on nicotine-evoked conditioned responding. Mecamylamine and dihydro-β-erythroidine (DHβE) dose dependently blocked responding evoked by the nicotine CS. In a time-course assessment of mecamylamine and DHβE, each blocked conditioned responding when given 5 min before testing and still blocked conditioned responding when administered 200 min before testing. Two novel bis-picolinium analogs (N, N’-(3, 3′-(dodecan-1,12-diyl)-bis-picolinium dibromide [bPiDDB], and N, N’-(decan-1,10-diyl)-bis-picolinium diiodide [bPiDI]) did not block nicotine-evoked conditioned responding. Finally, pretreatment with low dose combinations of mecamylamine, dextromethorphan, and/or bupropion were used to target α3β4* receptors. No combination blocked conditioned responding evoked by the training dose of nicotine. However, a combination of mecamylamine and dextromethorphan partially blocked nicotine-evoked conditioned responding to a lower dose of nicotine (0.1 mg/kg). These results indicate that β2* and potentially α3β4* nicotinic acetylcholine receptors play a role in the CS effects of nicotine and are potential targets for the development of nicotine cessation aids. PMID:19778551

Exceptional Responders Initial Feasibility Results

Cancer.gov

A pilot study evaluating identification of cancer patients who respond to treatment that is ineffective in at least 90 percent of patients found that it was indeed able to confirm a majority of proposed patients as exceptional responders based on clinical

Motivators and hygiene factors among physicians responding to explicit incentives to improve the value of care.

PubMed

Waddimba, Anthony C; Burgess, James F; Young, Gary J; Beckman, Howard B; Meterko, Mark

2013-01-01

Physician's dissatisfaction is reported to be increasing, especially in primary care. The transition from fee-for-service to outcome-based reimbursements may make matters worse. To investigate influences of provider attitudes and practice settings on job satisfaction/dissatisfaction during transition to quality-based payment models, we assessed self-reported satisfaction/dissatisfaction with practice in a Rochester (New York)-area physician practice association in the process of implementing pay-for-performance. We linked cross-sectional data for 215 survey respondents on satisfaction ratings and behavioral attitudes with medical record data on their clinical behavior and practices, and census data on their catchment population. Factors associated with the odds of being satisfied or dissatisfied were determined via predictive multivariable logistic regression modeling. Dissatisfied physicians were more likely to have larger-than-average patient panels, lower autonomy and/or control, and beliefs that quality incentives were hindering patient care. Satisfied physicians were more likely to have a higher sense of autonomy and control, smaller patient volumes, and a less complex patient mix. Efforts to maintain or improve satisfaction among physicians should focus on encouraging professional autonomy during transitions from volume-based to quality/outcomes-based payment systems. An optimum balance between accountability and autonomy/control might maximize both health care quality and job satisfaction.

Inhibitors in haemophilia A: a perspective on clotting factor products as a potential contributing factor.

PubMed

Mathew, P; Dinter, H; Church, N; Humphries, T J; Kulkarni, R

2016-05-01

The occurrence of a neutralizing antibody in previously untreated patients (PUPs) with haemophilia A appears to be the result of an intricate interplay of both genetic and environmental factors. Recently, the type of factor VIII (FVIII) product used in the PUPs population has been implicated as a risk factor for inhibitor development. The aim of this review was to explore in a systematic manner potential hypotheses for the product-related findings in these studies (i.e. differences in the expression system of the cell lines used to produce recombinant FVIII [rFVIII], differences in the administered antigen load or changes in clinical practice over time). Review of the available clinical studies illustrates the high degree of variability for the risk of inhibitor development for the same products across different studies. Differences in cell lines or antigen load were not found to provide a reasonable explanation. The possibility of changes in clinical practice over time and patient selection bias (i.e. the preferential use of one product over another in patients at higher risk for inhibitors) offers a potential explanation and should be carefully considered when evaluating the studies. © 2016 The Authors. Haemophilia Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Towards improved migraine management: Determining potential trigger factors in individual patients.

PubMed

Peris, Francesc; Donoghue, Stephen; Torres, Ferran; Mian, Alec; Wöber, Christian

2017-04-01

Background Certain chronic diseases such as migraine result in episodic, debilitating attacks for which neither cause nor timing is well understood. Historically, possible triggers were identified through analysis of aggregated data from populations of patients. However, triggers common in populations may not be wholly responsible for an individual's attacks. To explore this hypothesis we developed a method to identify individual 'potential trigger' profiles and analysed the degree of inter-individual variation. Methods We applied N = 1 statistical analysis to a 326-migraine-patient database from a study in which patients used paper-based diaries for 90 days to track 33 factors (potential triggers or premonitory symptoms) associated with their migraine attacks. For each patient, univariate associations between factors and migraine events were analysed using Cox proportional hazards models. Results We generated individual factor-attack association profiles for 87% of the patients. The average number of factors associated with attacks was four per patient: Factor profiles were highly individual and were unique in 85% of patients with at least one identified association. Conclusion Accurate identification of individual factor-attack profiles is a prerequisite for testing which are true triggers and for development of trigger avoidance or desensitisation strategies. Our methodology represents a necessary development toward this goal.

7 CFR 3017.1000 - Respondent.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 15 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Respondent. 3017.1000 Section 3017.1000 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) OFFICE OF THE CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GOVERNMENTWIDE DEBARMENT AND SUSPENSION (NONPROCUREMENT) Definitions § 3017.1000 Respondent...

Factors potentially influencing aminoglycoside use and expenditure

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

DiPiro, J.T.; Kilsdonk, G.F.; Amerson, A.B.

1982-07-01

Factors that may have influenced aminoglycoside use and expenditure in one hospital were examined. Factors that were evaluated as to their influence on aminoglycoside-use patterns were: (1) formulary status; (2) bacterial susceptibility patterns; (3) identified or perceived differences in toxicity; (4) changes in patient population; (5) price paid by the hospital for aminoglycosides; (6) distribution of newsletters or memoranda; (7) advertising and detailing; and (8) pharmacy policies. For FY 1976-77 to 1979-80, the largest proportion of aminoglycoside expense was for gentamicin. During FY 1980-81, the expenditure for gentamicin decreased and tobramycin accounted for the largest proportion of total expenditure. Monthlymore » gentamicin use decreased 20% during FY 1980-81 from the previous year. Tobramycin use increased from January 1979 to November 1980 and decreased from December 1980 to June 1981. Kanamycin use and amikacin use were fairly constant during the study period. Based on temporal relationships, the following factors appeared to influence aminoglycoside use and expenditure: (1) a study conducted at the institution from June 1977 to June 1979 comparing gentamicin and tobramycin nephrotoxicity; (2) a comparative nephrotoxicity study published in a widely circulated medical journal in May 1980; and (3) an intramural newsletter and memorandum distributed in March 1981 encouraging selective aminoglycoside use. The identification of factors that potentially influenced aminoglycoside use can be used to anticipate the future impact of similar events and to devise strategies to influence antimicrobial use.« less

Motivation and expectancy influences in placebo responding: the mediating role of attention.

PubMed

Aigner, Carrie; Svanum, Soren

2014-12-01

Drawing upon research in perception and motivation, the current study proposes a motivation-attention model of placebo in which more motivated persons pay greater attention to placebo-related stimuli, directly influencing placebo response. We manipulated both motivation to respond to placebo and expectations of placebo response in a 2 × 2 design. Participants (N = 152) evaluated a series of placebo pheromones (slightly scented water) of potential romantic dates and made desirability ratings. Consistent with hypotheses, more highly motivated participants demonstrated greater placebo responses, as evidenced by higher desirability ratings of the "pheromone" and greater variability among ratings, when compared to less motivated participants. Moreover, the relation between motivation and placebo response was mediated by attention. Contrary to expectations, we found no effect for expectancy. These findings highlight the importance of motivation and the mediating factor of attention in placebo and support goal-oriented models of placebo. © 2014 International Union of Psychological Science.

Hyperdynamics boost factor achievable with an ideal bias potential

DOE PAGES

Huang, Chen; Perez, Danny; Voter, Arthur F.

2015-08-20

Hyperdynamics is a powerful method to significantly extend the time scales amenable to molecular dynamics simulation of infrequent events. One outstanding challenge, however, is the development of the so-called bias potential required by the method. In this work, we design a bias potential using information about all minimum energy pathways (MEPs) out of the current state. While this approach is not suitable for use in an actual hyperdynamics simulation, because the pathways are generally not known in advance, it allows us to show that it is possible to come very close to the theoretical boost limit of hyperdynamics while maintainingmore » high accuracy. We demonstrate this by applying this MEP-based hyperdynamics (MEP-HD) to metallic surface diffusion systems. In most cases, MEP-HD gives boost factors that are orders of magnitude larger than the best existing bias potential, indicating that further development of hyperdynamics bias potentials could have a significant payoff. Lastly, we discuss potential practical uses of MEP-HD, including the possibility of developing MEP-HD into a true hyperdynamics.« less

Motivating Factors and Potential Deterrents to Blood Donation in High School Aged Blood Donors

PubMed Central

Phan-Tang, Michelle

2016-01-01

Background. To ensure an adequate supply of blood, collection centers must design campaigns that successfully recruit and maintain an active donor pool. Understanding factors that motivate and deter individuals from donating may help centers develop targeted recruitment campaigns. These factors among high school aged blood donors have not yet been fully investigated. Study Design and Methods. A voluntary, anonymous survey was administered to student donors at high school mobile blood drives. The survey instrument asked the students to rate several potential motivating factors in their importance in the decision to donate blood and several potential deterring factors in their future decision whether or not to donate blood again. The survey also asked the students to rate the desirability of several potential incentives. Results. Motivating factors that reflected prosocial, empathetic, and altruistic thoughts and beliefs were rated highly by students. Pain from phlebotomy was most commonly chosen as potential deterrent. Movie tickets and cookies/snacks at the drive were rated as the most attractive incentives. Conclusion. High school aged blood donors are similar to other donor groups in their expressed motives for donating blood. This group may be unique in the factors that deter them from donating and in their preferences for different incentives. PMID:27293985

Potentially modifiable factors contributing to sepsis-associated encephalopathy.

PubMed

Sonneville, Romain; de Montmollin, Etienne; Poujade, Julien; Garrouste-Orgeas, Maïté; Souweine, Bertrand; Darmon, Michael; Mariotte, Eric; Argaud, Laurent; Barbier, François; Goldgran-Toledano, Dany; Marcotte, Guillaume; Dumenil, Anne-Sylvie; Jamali, Samir; Lacave, Guillaume; Ruckly, Stéphane; Mourvillier, Bruno; Timsit, Jean-François

2017-08-01

Identifying modifiable factors for sepsis-associated encephalopathy may help improve patient care and outcomes. We conducted a retrospective analysis of a prospective multicenter database. Sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE) was defined by a score on the Glasgow coma scale (GCS) <15 or when features of delirium were noted. Potentially modifiable risk factors for SAE at ICU admission and its impact on mortality were investigated using multivariate logistic regression analysis and Cox proportional hazard modeling, respectively. We included 2513 patients with sepsis at ICU admission, of whom 1341 (53%) had sepsis-associated encephalopathy. After adjusting for baseline characteristics, site of infection, and type of admission, the following factors remained independently associated with sepsis-associated encephalopathy: acute renal failure [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.41, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.19-1.67], hypoglycemia <3 mmol/l (aOR = 2.66, 95% CI 1.27-5.59), hyperglycemia >10 mmol/l (aOR = 1.37, 95% CI 1.09-1.72), hypercapnia >45 mmHg (aOR = 1.91, 95% CI 1.53-2.38), hypernatremia >145 mmol/l (aOR = 2.30, 95% CI 1.48-3.57), and S. aureus (aOR = 1.54, 95% CI 1.05-2.25). Sepsis-associated encephalopathy was associated with higher mortality, higher use of ICU resources, and longer hospital stay. After adjusting for age, comorbidities, year of admission, and non-neurological SOFA score, even mild alteration of mental status (i.e., a score on the GCS of 13-14) remained independently associated with mortality (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.38, 95% CI 1.09-1.76). Acute renal failure and common metabolic disturbances represent potentially modifiable factors contributing to sepsis-associated encephalopathy. However, a true causal relationship has yet to be demonstrated. Our study confirms the prognostic significance of mild alteration of mental status in patients with sepsis.

Potential and Challenges in Collecting Social and Behavioral Data on Adolescent Alcohol Norms: Comparing Respondent-Driven Sampling and Web-Based Respondent-Driven Sampling

PubMed Central

Hildebrand, Janina; Burns, Sharyn; Zhao, Yun; Lobo, Roanna; Howat, Peter; Allsop, Steve

2015-01-01

Background Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) is a method successfully used to research hard-to-access populations. Few studies have explored the use of the Internet and social media with RDS, known as Web-based RDS (WebRDS). This study explored the use of combining both “traditional” RDS and WebRDS to examine the influences on adolescent alcohol use. Objective This paper reports on the recruitment processes and the challenges and enablers of both RDS and WebRDS. It details comparative recruitment data and provides a summary of the utility of both methods for recruiting adolescents to participate in an online survey investigating youth alcohol norms. Methods Process evaluation data collected from research staff throughout the study were used to assess the challenges and solutions of RDS and WebRDS. Pearson chi-square test (Fisher’s exact test if applicable) was used to compare the differences in sociodemographics and drinking behavior between data collected by RDS and WebRDS. Results Of the total sample (N=1012), 232 adolescents were recruited by RDS and 780 by WebRDS. A significantly larger proportion of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander (P<.001) participants who spoke English as their main language at home (P=.03), and of middle and lower socioeconomic status (P<.001) was found in the RDS sample. The RDS sample was also found to have a higher occurrence of past 7-day drinking (P<.001) and past 7-day risky drinking (P=.004). No significant differences in gender, age, past month alcohol use, and lifetime alcohol use were observed between the RDS and WebRDS samples. This study revealed RDS and WebRDS used similar lengths of chains for recruiting participants; however, WebRDS conducted a faster rate of recruitment at a lower average cost per participant compared to RDS. Conclusions Using WebRDS resulted in significant improvements in the recruitment rate and was a more effective and efficient use of resources than the traditional RDS method. However, Web

Veterinarian challenges to providing a multi-agency response to farm animal welfare problems in Ireland: responding to the human factor.

PubMed

Devitt, C; Kelly, P; Blake, M; Hanlon, A; More, S J

2013-12-01

In 2012, the authors undertook a study of the challenges facing government and private veterinarians in responding to the human element of farm animal welfare incidents (i.e. the personal problems and difficulties of farmers that can result in farm animal neglect). This paper reports their findings and examines the role of veterinarians in responding to the difficulties of farmers. It also looks at their experiences of attempting to build a multi-agency approach involving veterinary and human support services. This paper builds on a study whereby the authors considered how social, health and attitudinal factors, as well as mental health problems, contribute to farm animal welfare incidents in Ireland. An early warning system involving relevant agencies is in place to identify and prevent farm animal welfare problems before they become critical. The literature provides examples of private veterinarians combining with support services where there are indicators of animal and human abuse. Yet there are no research examples of government or private veterinarians linking with support services to resolve farm animal welfare cases where there are social, health, and/or mental health difficulties with the herd owner. Four focus groups were conducted with government veterinarians (n = 18) and three with private veterinarians (n = 12). Government veterinarians made contact with support services to seek advice on how best to respond to the human element of farm animal welfare incidents, and/or to seek support for the herd owner. Contact between government and private veterinarians was driven by the former. Communication between agencies was influenced by individual efforts and personal contacts. Formal structures and guidelines, perceived professional capabilities in determining herd owner needs, and client confidentiality concerns among support services and private veterinarians were less influential. The fear of losing clients and the financial implications of this were

Elevated Responding to Safe Conditions as a Specific Risk Factor for Anxiety Versus Depressive Disorders: Evidence From a Longitudinal Investigation

PubMed Central

Craske, Michelle G.; Wolitzky–Taylor, Kate B.; Mineka, Susan; Zinbarg, Richard; Waters, Allison M.; Vrshek–Schallhorn, Suzanne; Epstein, Alyssa; Naliboff, Bruce; Ornitz, Edward

2013-01-01

The current study evaluated the degree to which startle reflexes (SRs) in safe conditions versus danger conditions were predictive of the onset of anxiety disorders. Specificity of these effects to anxiety disorders was evaluated in comparison to unipolar depressive disorders and with consideration of level of neuroticism. A startle paradigm was administered at baseline to 132 nondisordered adolescents as part of a longitudinal study examining risk factors for emotional disorders. Participants underwent a repetition of eight safe-danger sequences and were told that delivery of an aversive stimulus leading to a muscle contraction of the arm would occur only in the late part of danger conditions. One aversive stimulus occurred midway in the safe-danger sequences. Participants were assessed for the onset of anxiety and unipolar depressive disorders annually over the next 3 to 4 years. Larger SR magnitude during safe conditions following delivery of the aversive stimulus predicted the subsequent first onset of anxiety disorders. Moreover, prediction of the onset of anxiety disorders remained significant above and beyond the effects of comorbid unipolar depression, neuroticism, and subjective ratings of intensity of the aversive stimulus. In sum, elevated responding to safe conditions following an aversive stimulus appears to be a specific, prospective risk factor for the first onset of anxiety disorders. PMID:21988452

Vascular endothelial growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor are potential angiogenic and metastatic factors in human breast cancer.

PubMed

Anan, K; Morisaki, T; Katano, M; Ikubo, A; Kitsuki, H; Uchiyama, A; Kuroki, S; Tanaka, M; Torisu, M

1996-03-01

Angiogenesis is a prerequisite for tumor growth and metastasis. Tumor angiogenesis may be mediated by several angiogenic factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), transforming growth factor-alpha, and basic fibroblast growth factor. Differential mRNA expressions of VEGF, PDGF (A chain), transforming growth factor-alpha and basic fibroblast growth factor in 32 primary invasive breast tumors were examined by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. We analyzed relationships between mRNA expressions of these angiogenic factors and the degree of angiogenesis, tumor size, and metastasis. Quantification of angiogenesis was achieved by the immunohistochemical staining of endothelial cells with antibody to CD31. VEGF and PDGF-A mRNAs were expressed more frequently in breast tumors than in nontumor breast tissues, whereas no difference was found in expression frequency of either transforming growth factor-alpha or basic fibroblast growth factor mRNA. Vascular counts in tumors correlated with each expression frequency of VEGF and PDGF-A mRNA. PDGF-A mRNA was expressed more frequently in tumors with lymph node metastasis than in those without metastasis. Expression of VEGF and PDGF mRNAs detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction in breast tumors correlates with tumor-related characteristics of angiogenesis and metastatic potential. Analysis of these mRNAs by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction may be useful for assessing the biologic behavior of a breast tumor before surgical treatment.

The probability of reinforcement per trial affects posttrial responding and subsequent extinction but not within-trial responding.

PubMed

Harris, Justin A; Kwok, Dorothy W S

2018-01-01

During magazine approach conditioning, rats do not discriminate between a conditional stimulus (CS) that is consistently reinforced with food and a CS that is occasionally (partially) reinforced, as long as the CSs have the same overall reinforcement rate per second. This implies that rats are indifferent to the probability of reinforcement per trial. However, in the same rats, the per-trial reinforcement rate will affect subsequent extinction-responding extinguishes more rapidly for a CS that was consistently reinforced than for a partially reinforced CS. Here, we trained rats with consistently and partially reinforced CSs that were matched for overall reinforcement rate per second. We measured conditioned responding both during and immediately after the CSs. Differences in the per-trial probability of reinforcement did not affect the acquisition of responding during the CS but did affect subsequent extinction of that responding, and also affected the post-CS response rates during conditioning. Indeed, CSs with the same probability of reinforcement per trial evoked the same amount of post-CS responding even when they differed in overall reinforcement rate and thus evoked different amounts of responding during the CS. We conclude that reinforcement rate per second controls rats' acquisition of responding during the CS, but at the same time, rats also learn specifically about the probability of reinforcement per trial. The latter learning affects the rats' expectation of reinforcement as an outcome of the trial, which influences their ability to detect retrospectively that an opportunity for reinforcement was missed, and, in turn, drives extinction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Assessing the representativeness of physician and patient respondents to a primary care survey using administrative data.

PubMed

Li, Allanah; Cronin, Shawna; Bai, Yu Qing; Walker, Kevin; Ammi, Mehdi; Hogg, William; Wong, Sabrina T; Wodchis, Walter P

2018-05-30

QUALICOPC is an international survey of primary care performance. QUALICOPC data have been used in several studies, yet the representativeness of the Canadian QUALICOPC survey is unknown, potentially limiting the generalizability of findings. This study examined the representativeness of QUALICOPC physician and patient respondents in Ontario using health administrative data. This representativeness study linked QUALICOPC physician and patient respondents in Ontario to health administrative databases at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences. Physician respondents were compared to other physicians in their practice group and all Ontario primary care physicians on demographic and practice characteristics. Patient respondents were compared to other patients rostered to their primary care physicians, patients rostered to their physicians' practice groups, and a random sample of Ontario residents on sociodemographic characteristics, morbidity, and health care utilization. Standardized differences were calculated to compare the distribution of characteristics across cohorts. QUALICOPC physician respondents included a higher proportion of younger, female physicians and Canadian medical graduates compared to other Ontario primary care physicians. A higher proportion of physician respondents practiced in Family Health Team models, compared to the provincial proportion for primary care physicians. QUALICOPC patient respondents were more likely to be older and female, with significantly higher levels of morbidity and health care utilization, compared with the other patient groups examined. However, when looking at the QUALICOPC physicians' whole rosters, rather than just the patient survey respondents, the practice profiles were similar to those of the other physicians in their practice groups and Ontario patients in general. Comparisons revealed some differences in responding physicians' demographic and practice characteristics, as well as differences in responding

Overview of Hazard Assessment and Emergency Planning Software of Use to RN First Responders

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Waller, E; Millage, K; Blakely, W F

2008-08-26

There are numerous software tools available for field deployment, reach-back, training and planning use in the event of a radiological or nuclear (RN) terrorist event. Specialized software tools used by CBRNe responders can increase information available and the speed and accuracy of the response, thereby ensuring that radiation doses to responders, receivers, and the general public are kept as low as reasonably achievable. Software designed to provide health care providers with assistance in selecting appropriate countermeasures or therapeutic interventions in a timely fashion can improve the potential for positive patient outcome. This paper reviews various software applications of relevance tomore » radiological and nuclear (RN) events that are currently in use by first responders, emergency planners, medical receivers, and criminal investigators.« less

Factors Influencing Residency Program Selection by Medical Students Pursuing Obstetrics and Gynecology.

PubMed

Alston, Meredith J; Metz, Torri D; Fothergill, Russell; Meg Autry, Amy; Wagner, Sarah A; Allshouse, Amanda A; Stephenson-Famy, Alyssa

2017-02-01

Little is known about the factors that influence medical student selection of obstetrics and gynecology (ob-gyn) residency programs. We assessed the factors influencing residency program selection by fourth-year medical students pursuing ob-gyn training. A voluntary, anonymous, 19-question survey of residency selection factors was distributed to all fourth-year medical students interviewing at 1 of 5 academic ob-gyn departments for a residency position during the 2013-2014 interview season. Participants were surveyed about the relative importance (not important, somewhat important, important) of various residency selection factors, including operative experience, exposure to subspecialties, curricular experience, access to fellowships, and administrative aspects of residency, including adherence to duty hour restrictions. Of 322 potential respondents, 262 (81%) completed the survey. Surgical training and training in laparoscopic surgery were deemed "important" by nearly all respondents (98%, 258 of 262, and 97%, 253 of 262, respectively). Factors that were considered "not important" by a significant group of respondents included maternity/paternity leave policies (22%, 58 of 259); opportunity for international rotations/electives (20%, 51 of 259); exposure to quality and safety initiatives (13%, 34 of 259); and training in abortion (13%, 34 of 262). Fourth-year medical students identified surgical training as the most important factor in selecting an ob-gyn residency, a finding that is particularly relevant as decreasing and changing surgical volumes affect residency training in this specialty.

Moderators of wellbeing interventions: Why do some people respond more positively than others?

PubMed Central

Nelson-Coffey, S. Katherine; Layous, Kristin; Jacobs Bao, Katherine; Davis, Oliver S. P.; Haworth, Claire M. A.

2017-01-01

Interventions rarely have a universal effect on all individuals. Reasons ranging from participant characteristics, context and fidelity of intervention completion could cause some people to respond more positively than others. Understanding these individual differences in intervention response may provide clues to the mechanisms behind the intervention, as well as inform future designs to make interventions maximally beneficial for all. Here we focus on an intervention designed to improve adolescent wellbeing, and explore potential moderators using a representative and well-powered sample. 16-year old participants (N = 932) in the Twins Wellbeing Intervention Study logged online once a week to complete control and wellbeing-enhancing activities consecutively. Throughout the study participants also provided information about a range of potential moderators of intervention response including demographics, seasonality, personality, baseline characteristics, activity fit, and effort. As expected, some individuals gained more from the intervention than others; we used multi-level modelling to test for moderation effects that could explain these individual differences. Of the 15 moderators tested, none significantly explained individual differences in intervention response in the intervention and follow-up phases. Self-reported effort and baseline positive affect had a notable effect in moderating response in the control phase, during which there was no overall improvement in wellbeing and mental health. Our results did not replicate the moderation effects that have been suggested by previous literature and future work needs to reconcile these differences. They also show that factors that have previously been shown to influence baseline wellbeing do not also influence an individual’s ability to benefit from a wellbeing intervention. Although future research should continue to explore potential moderators of intervention efficacy, our results suggest that the beneficial

Moderators of wellbeing interventions: Why do some people respond more positively than others?

PubMed

Wang, R Adele H; Nelson-Coffey, S Katherine; Layous, Kristin; Jacobs Bao, Katherine; Davis, Oliver S P; Haworth, Claire M A

2017-01-01

Interventions rarely have a universal effect on all individuals. Reasons ranging from participant characteristics, context and fidelity of intervention completion could cause some people to respond more positively than others. Understanding these individual differences in intervention response may provide clues to the mechanisms behind the intervention, as well as inform future designs to make interventions maximally beneficial for all. Here we focus on an intervention designed to improve adolescent wellbeing, and explore potential moderators using a representative and well-powered sample. 16-year old participants (N = 932) in the Twins Wellbeing Intervention Study logged online once a week to complete control and wellbeing-enhancing activities consecutively. Throughout the study participants also provided information about a range of potential moderators of intervention response including demographics, seasonality, personality, baseline characteristics, activity fit, and effort. As expected, some individuals gained more from the intervention than others; we used multi-level modelling to test for moderation effects that could explain these individual differences. Of the 15 moderators tested, none significantly explained individual differences in intervention response in the intervention and follow-up phases. Self-reported effort and baseline positive affect had a notable effect in moderating response in the control phase, during which there was no overall improvement in wellbeing and mental health. Our results did not replicate the moderation effects that have been suggested by previous literature and future work needs to reconcile these differences. They also show that factors that have previously been shown to influence baseline wellbeing do not also influence an individual's ability to benefit from a wellbeing intervention. Although future research should continue to explore potential moderators of intervention efficacy, our results suggest that the beneficial

Do "placebo responders" exist?

PubMed

Kaptchuk, Ted J; Kelley, John M; Deykin, Aaron; Wayne, Peter M; Lasagna, Louis C; Epstein, Ingrid O; Kirsch, Irving; Wechsler, Michael E

2008-07-01

The placebo effect has been the subject of much controversy. For a scientific investigation of placebo effects to advance it is important to establish whether a placebo response in any particular illness is reliable - i.e., if there is a response to a single placebo administration there will also be a placebo response to the repeated administration of a similar placebo in similar conditions. A positive answer would allow more sophisticated clinical trial designs and more precise basic research experiments on the placebo effect. This article reviews experiments that used multiple administrations of placebo to answer the question "do reliable placebo responders exist?" This paper also examines the evidence for the existence of a consistent placebo responder, i.e. a person who responds to placebo in one situation will respond in another condition or using a different type of placebo ritual. Much of the existing evidence for these two questions was performed before 1967. This early evidence is contradictory, methodologically weak and is sufficiently old to be considered medical history. Since 1969, at least eight experiments exposed asthma patients to multiple administrations of placebo given with deceptive suggestions that the "treatment" was an active medication. While the results of this research are not unequivocal, and may not be equivalent to non-deceptive conditions, this line of inquiry suggests that if a reliable and consistent placebo response exists it could be detected within this population. Finally, this paper proposes one model to rigorously investigate the stability of placebo responses.

Use of Bioclimatic Factors to Determine Potential Niche of Vaccinia Virus, an Emerging and Zoonotic Pathogen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quiner, C. A.; Nakazawa, Y.

2017-12-01

Emerging and understudied pathogens often lack information that most commonly used analytical tools require, such as negative controls or baseline data making public health control of emerging pathogens challenging. In lieu of opportunities to collect more data from larger outbreaks or formal epidemiological studies, new analytical strategies, merging case data with publically available datasets, can be used to understand transmission patterns and drivers of disease emergence. Zoonotic infections with Vaccinia virus (VACV) were first reported in Brazil in 1999, VACV is an emerging zoonotic Orthopoxvirus, which primarily infects dairy cattle and farmers in close contact with infected cows. Prospective studies of emerging pathogens could provide critical data that would inform public health planning and response to outbreaks. By using the location of 87-recorded outbreaks and publicly available bioclimatic data we demonstrate one such approach. Using an Ecological Niche Model (ENM), we identify the environmental conditions under which VACV outbreaks have occurred, and determine additional locations in two affected South American countries that may be susceptible to transmission. Further, we show how suitability for the virus responds to different levels of various environmental factors and highlight the most important climatic factors in determining its transmission. The final ENM predicted all areas where Brazilian outbreaks occurred, two out of five Colombian outbreaks and identified new regions within Brazil that are suitable for transmission based on bioclimatic factors. Further, the most important factors in determining transmission suitability are precipitation of the wettest quarter, annual precipitation, mean temperature of the coldest quarter and mean diurnal range. The analyses here provide a means by which to study patterns of an emerging infectious disease, and regions that are potentially at risk for it, in spite of the paucity of critical data. Policy

Sexual attraction to others: a comparison of two models of alloerotic responding in men.

PubMed

Blanchard, Ray; Kuban, Michael E; Blak, Thomas; Klassen, Philip E; Dickey, Robert; Cantor, James M

2012-02-01

The penile response profiles of homosexual and heterosexual pedophiles, hebephiles, and teleiophiles to laboratory stimuli depicting male and female children and adults may be conceptualized as a series of overlapping stimulus generalization gradients. This study used such profile data to compare two models of alloerotic responding (sexual responding to other people) in men. The first model was based on the notion that men respond to a potential sexual object as a compound stimulus made up of an age component and a gender component. The second model was based on the notion that men respond to a potential sexual object as a gestalt, which they evaluate in terms of global similarity to other potential sexual objects. The analytic strategy was to compare the accuracy of these models in predicting a man's penile response to each of his less arousing (nonpreferred) stimulus categories from his response to his most arousing (preferred) stimulus category. Both models based their predictions on the degree of dissimilarity between the preferred stimulus category and a given nonpreferred stimulus category, but each model used its own measure of dissimilarity. According to the first model ("summation model"), penile response should vary inversely as the sum of stimulus differences on separate dimensions of age and gender. According to the second model ("bipolar model"), penile response should vary inversely as the distance between stimulus categories on a single, bipolar dimension of morphological similarity-a dimension on which children are located near the middle, and adult men and women are located at opposite ends. The subjects were 2,278 male patients referred to a specialty clinic for phallometric assessment of their erotic preferences. Comparisons of goodness of fit to the observed data favored the unidimensional bipolar model.

Analysis of transactivation potential of rice (Oryza sativa L.) heat shock factors.

PubMed

Lavania, Dhruv; Dhingra, Anuradha; Grover, Anil

2018-06-01

Based on yeast one-hybrid assays, we show that the presence of C-terminal AHA motifs is not a prerequisite for transactivation potential in rice heat shock factors. Transcriptional activation or transactivation (TA) of heat stress responsive genes takes place by binding of heat shock factors (Hsfs) to heat shock elements. Analysis of TA potential of thirteen rice (Oryza sativa L.) Hsfs (OsHsfs) carried out in this study by yeast one-hybrid assay showed that OsHsfsA3 possesses strong TA potential while OsHsfs A1a, A2a, A2b, A4a, A4d, A5, A7b, B1, B2a, B2b, B2c and B4d lack TA potential. From a near complete picture of TA potential of the OsHsf family (comprising of 25 members) emerging from this study and an earlier report from our group (Mittal et al. in FEBS J 278(17):3076-3085, 2011), it is concluded that (1) overall, six OsHsfs, namely A3, A6a, A6b, A8, C1a and C1b possess TA potential; (2) four class A OsHsfs, namely A3, A6a, A6b and A8 have TA potential out of which A6a and A6b contain AHA motifs while A3 and A8 lack AHA motifs; (3) nine class A OsHsfs, namely A1a, A2a, A2b, A2e, A4a, A4d, A5, A7a and A7b containing AHA motif(s) lack TA function in the yeast assay system; (4) all class B OsHsfs lack AHA motifs and TA potential (B4a not analyzed) and (5) though all class C OsHsf members lack AHA motifs, two members C1a and C1b possess TA function, while one member C2a lacks TA potential (C2b not analyzed). Thus, the presence or absence of AHA motif is possibly not the only factor determining TA potential of OsHsfs. Our findings will help to identify the transcriptional activators of rice heat shock response.

The Responders' Gender Stereotypes Modulate the Strategic Decision-Making of Proposers Playing the Ultimatum Game.

PubMed

Fabre, Eve F; Causse, Mickael; Pesciarelli, Francesca; Cacciari, Cristina

2016-01-01

Despite the wealth of studies investigating factors affecting decisions, not much is known about the impact of stereotypical beliefs on strategic economic decision-making. In the present study, we used the ultimatum game paradigm to investigate how participants playing as proposer modulate their strategic economic behavior, according to their game counterparts' stereotypical identity (i.e., responders). The latter were introduced to the participants using occupational role nouns stereotypically marked with gender paired with feminine or masculine proper names (e.g., linguist-Anna; economist-David; economist-Cristina; linguist-Leonardo). When playing with male-stereotyped responders, proposers quickly applied the equity rule, behaving fairly, while they adopted a strategic behavior with responders characterized by female stereotypes. They were also longer to make their offers to female than to male responders but both kinds of responders received comparable offers, suggesting a greater cognitive effort to treat females as equally as males. The present study explicitly demonstrates that gender stereotypical information affect strategic economic decision-making and highlights a possible evolution of gender discrimination into a more insidious discrimination toward individuals with female characteristics.

Selective elimination of breast cancer surgery in exceptional responders: historical perspective and current trials.

PubMed

van la Parra, Raquel F D; Kuerer, Henry M

2016-03-08

With improvements in chemotherapy regimens, targeted therapies, and our fundamental understanding of the relationship of tumor subtype and pathologic complete response (pCR), there has been dramatic improvement in pCR rates in the past decade, especially among triple-negative and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive breast cancers. Rates of pCR in these groups of patients can be in the 60 % range and thus question the paradigm for the necessity of breast and nodal surgery in all cases, particularly when the patient will be receiving adjuvant local therapy with radiotherapy. Current practice for patients who respond well to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT) is often to proceed with the same breast and axillary procedures as would have been offered women who had not received NCT, regardless of the apparent clinical response. Given these high response rates in defined subgroups among exceptional responders it is appropriate to question whether surgery is now a redundant procedure in their overall management. Further, definitive radiation without surgical resection with or without systemic therapy has been proven effective for several other malignant disease sites including some stages of esophageal, anal, laryngeal, prostate, cervical, and lung carcinoma. The main impediments for potential elimination of surgery have been the fact that prior and current standard and functional breast imaging methods are incapable of accurate prediction of residual disease and that integrating percutaneous biopsy of the breast primary and nodes following NCT may circumvent this issue. This article highlights historical attempts at omission of surgery following NCT in an earlier era, the current status of breast and nodal imaging to predict residual carcinoma, and ongoing and planned trials designed to identify appropriate patients who might be selected for clinical trials designed to test the safety of selected elimination of breast cancer surgery in percutaneous image

Inaccurate Estimation of Disparities Due to Mischievous Responders: Several Suggestions to Assess Conclusions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robinson-Cimpian, Joseph P.

2014-01-01

This article introduces novel sensitivity-analysis procedures for investigating and reducing the bias that mischievous responders (i.e., youths who provide extreme, and potentially untruthful, responses to multiple questions) often introduce in adolescent disparity estimates based on data from self-administered questionnaires (SAQs). Mischievous…

Medication Errors in Vietnamese Hospitals: Prevalence, Potential Outcome and Associated Factors

PubMed Central

Nguyen, Huong-Thao; Nguyen, Tuan-Dung; van den Heuvel, Edwin R.; Haaijer-Ruskamp, Flora M.; Taxis, Katja

2015-01-01

Background Evidence from developed countries showed that medication errors are common and harmful. Little is known about medication errors in resource-restricted settings, including Vietnam. Objectives To determine the prevalence and potential clinical outcome of medication preparation and administration errors, and to identify factors associated with errors. Methods This was a prospective study conducted on six wards in two urban public hospitals in Vietnam. Data of preparation and administration errors of oral and intravenous medications was collected by direct observation, 12 hours per day on 7 consecutive days, on each ward. Multivariable logistic regression was applied to identify factors contributing to errors. Results In total, 2060 out of 5271 doses had at least one error. The error rate was 39.1% (95% confidence interval 37.8%- 40.4%). Experts judged potential clinical outcomes as minor, moderate, and severe in 72 (1.4%), 1806 (34.2%) and 182 (3.5%) doses. Factors associated with errors were drug characteristics (administration route, complexity of preparation, drug class; all p values < 0.001), and administration time (drug round, p = 0.023; day of the week, p = 0.024). Several interactions between these factors were also significant. Nurse experience was not significant. Higher error rates were observed for intravenous medications involving complex preparation procedures and for anti-infective drugs. Slightly lower medication error rates were observed during afternoon rounds compared to other rounds. Conclusions Potentially clinically relevant errors occurred in more than a third of all medications in this large study conducted in a resource-restricted setting. Educational interventions, focusing on intravenous medications with complex preparation procedure, particularly antibiotics, are likely to improve patient safety. PMID:26383873

Factors Modulating Post-Activation Potentiation of Jump, Sprint, Throw, and Upper-Body Ballistic Performances: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.

PubMed

Seitz, Laurent B; Haff, G Gregory

2016-02-01

Although post-activation potentiation (PAP) has been extensively examined following the completion of a conditioning activity (CA), the precise effects on subsequent jump, sprint, throw, and upper-body ballistic performances and the factors modulating these effects have yet to be determined. Moreover, weaker and stronger individuals seem to exhibit different PAP responses; however, how they respond to the different components of a strength-power-potentiation complex remains to be elucidated. This meta-analysis determined (1) the effect of performing a CA on subsequent jump, sprint, throw, and upper-body ballistic performances; (2) the influence of different types of CA, squat depths during the CA, rest intervals, volumes of CA, and loads during the CA on PAP; and (3) how individuals of different strength levels respond to these various strength-power-potentiation complex components. A computerized search was conducted in ADONIS, ERIC, SPORTDiscus, EBSCOhost, Google Scholar, MEDLINE, and PubMed databases up to March 2015. The analysis comprised 47 studies and 135 groups of participants for a total of 1954 participants. The PAP effect is small for jump (effect size [ES] = 0.29), throw (ES = 0.26), and upper-body ballistic (ES = 0.23) performance activities, and moderate for sprint (ES = 0.51) performance activity. A larger PAP effect is observed among stronger individuals and those with more experience in resistance training. Plyometric (ES = 0.47) CAs induce a slightly larger PAP effect than traditional high-intensity (ES = 0.41), traditional moderate-intensity (ES = 0.19), and maximal isometric (ES = -0.09) CAs, and a greater effect after shallower (ES = 0.58) versus deeper (ES = 0.25) squat CAs, longer (ES = 0.44 and 0.49) versus shorter (ES = 0.17) recovery intervals, multiple- (ES = 0.69) versus single- (ES = 0.24) set CAs, and repetition maximum (RM) (ES = 0.51) versus sub-maximal (ES = 0.34) loads during the CA. It is noteworthy

Potential determinants of efficacy of mirror therapy in stroke patients--A pilot study.

PubMed

Brunetti, Maddalena; Morkisch, Nadine; Fritzsch, Claire; Mehnert, Jan; Steinbrink, Jens; Niedeggen, Michael; Dohle, Christian

2015-01-01

Mirror therapy (MT) was found to improve motor function after stroke. However, there is high variability between patients regarding motor recovery. The following pilot study was designed to identify potential factors determining this variability between patients with severe upper limb paresis, receiving MT. Eleven sub-acute stroke patients with severe upper limb paresis participated, receiving in-patient rehabilitation. After a set of pre-assessments (including measurement of brain activity at the primary motor cortex and precuneus during the mirror illusion, using near-infrared spectroscopy as described previously), four weeks of MT were applied, followed by a set of post-assessments. Discriminant group analysis for MT responders and non-responders was performed. Six out of eleven patients were defined as responders and five as non-responders on the basis of their functional motor improvement. The initial motor function and the activity shift in both precunei (mirror index) were found to discriminate significantly between responders and non-responders. In line with earlier results, initial motor function was confirmed as crucial determinant of motor recovery. Additionally, activity response to the mirror illusion in both precunei was found to be a candidate for determination of the efficacy of MT.

[Potential risk factors for children in the family diet].

PubMed

Pavlović, M; Bijelović, S; Berenji, K; Balać, D

2001-01-01

It has been proven that high-energy diet with predominance of saturated fatty acids, cholesterol, animal proteins and sugar increases disease incidence. The aim of this study was to determine the potential risk factors of family diet of schoolchildren in Subotica. Evaluation of energy and nutrient intake in family diet (n = 357 families with schoolchildren) was examined by a Food Consumption Questionnaire during 7 days in February-March 1998. Data were elaboreted using a software "NUTQ". The potential nutritive risk factors were determined according to Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) index of dietary adequacy, as well as Population Nutrition Goals. Mean energy intake was 2197 kcal, where proteins made 14.64%, fats 41.39% and carbohydrates 43.97%. Mean intake of dietary saturated fatty acids (S) was 11.17%, of polyunsaturated fatty acids (P) 14.39%, of monounsaturated fatty acids 15.82%, dietary cholesterol 82.68 g/1000 kcal, dietary fiber 10.67 g daily, while the P/S ratio was 1.28. Analytical questionnaire of schoolchildren family diet shows that daily about 7.5% of children take in more than 30% of fats, 7% of them over 300 mg of dietary cholesterol, 65% of them over 10% of refined sugars, 50% of them over 10% of saturated fatty acids and all of them more than 6 g of NaCl and less than 20 g of dietary fiber a day. According to WHO recommendations, the average daily energy intake values are appropriate for boys, but exceeding for girls aged ten. Domination of meat, meat products, fats, oils, sugars, as well as mean intake of total fats, saturated fatty acids, potassium and sodium, represent potential nutritive risk factors for developing cardiovascular diseases, which are at the first place of morbidity and the second cause of mortality. In regard to our data from 1998, which have shown that among schoolchildren (n = 478) 10.04% boys and 11.47% girls were obese, 8.55% boys and 6.42% girls were overweight, 9.15% had hypercholesterolemia, 14.83% had

Recent HIV Testing Prevalence, Determinants, and Disparities Among US Older Adult Respondents to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

PubMed Central

Ford, Chandra L.; Godette, Dionne C.; Mulatu, Mesfin S.; Gaines, Tommi L.

2016-01-01

Background Although routine human immune deficiency virus (HIV) testing during health care visits is recommended for most adults, many older adults (i.e., ages 50–64 years) do not receive it. This study identified factors associated with HIV testing in the past 12 months (i.e., recent HIV testing) among US adults in the 3 categories of older adulthood (50–54, 55–59, and 60–64 years) for which routine HIV testing is recommended. Method This was a cross-sectional analysis of data from US older adult respondents to the 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. We calculated prevalence (proportions) of HIV testing by age category and race/ethnicity. Using multiple logistic regression, we identified predisposing, enabling, and need factors associated with recent HIV testing within and across age categories, by race/ethnicity and controlling for covariates. Results HIV testing prevalence was low (<5%), varied by race/ethnicity, and decreased with age. Within and across age categories, the odds of testing were highest among blacks (odds ratio [OR], 3.47; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.82–4.25) and higher among Latinos (OR, 2.06; 95% CI, 1.50–2.84) and the oldest and youngest categories of American Indians/Alaska Natives (OR, 2.48; 95% CI, 1.11–5.55; OR, 2.98; 95% CI, 1.49–5.95) than among whites. Those reporting a recent doctor visit (OR, 2.32; 95% CI, 1.92–2.74) or HIV risk behaviors (OR, 3.50; 95% CI, 2.67–4.59) had higher odds of HIV testing. Conclusion Regardless of risk, the oldest older adults, whites, and older women may forego HIV testing. Doctor visits may facilitate HIV testing. Additional research is needed to understand why eligible older adults seen by providers may not be screened for HIV infection. PMID:26165428

Individualized controlled ovarian stimulation in expected poor-responders: an update.

PubMed

Haahr, Thor; Esteves, Sandro C; Humaidan, Peter

2018-03-09

Controlled ovarian stimulation with subsequent multi-follicular development continues to be a keystone in ART. Evidence supports an individualized approach to ovarian stimulation, usually involving combinations of ovarian reserve tests, body mass index and age to tailor the exogenous gonadotropin dose, and potentially adjuvant treatment aiming for high safety and a shortening of time to live birth. While stimulation and trigger concepts have been developed successfully in normo- and hyperresponder patients, the poor responder patient remains difficult to manage. However, recent advances in definition and classification of the expected poor ovarian responder patient might enable a more accurate and clinically useful interpretation of new treatment concepts in a more homogenous study population. In the present review, we discuss the classification of the expected poor ovarian responder patient as well as clinically useful measurements of efficacy for controlled ovarian stimulation, and finally, we discuss the evidence for clinical management of patients with expected poor ovarian response, including adjuvant treatments such as growth hormone, androgens, and LH activity.In conclusion, the best available evidence supports that the treatment of the expected poor ovarian response patient should be individualized in all steps of ART, including the choice of GnRH analogue, the gonadotropin type and dose, ovulation trigger, and the possible use of adjuvant therapies.

Insulin resistance in clomiphene responders and non-responders with polycystic ovarian disease and therapeutic effects of metformin.

PubMed

Parsanezhad, M E; Alborzi, S; Zarei, A; Dehbashi, S; Omrani, G

2001-10-01

To evaluate the clinical features, endocrine and metabolic profiles in clomiphene (CC) responders and non-responders with polycystic ovarian disease (PCOD), and to examine the effects of metformin (MTF) on the above parameters of CC resistance. A prospective clinical trial was undertaken at the infertility division of a university teaching hospital. Forty-one CC responders were selected and their hormonal and clinical features were determined. Forty-one CC-resistant PCOD women were also selected and clinical features; metabolic and hormonal profiles before and after treatment with MTF 1500 mg/day for 6-8 weeks were evaluated. Women who failed to conceive were treated by CC while continuing to take MTF. CC responders had higher insulin levels while non-responders were hyperinsulinemic. Menstrual irregularities improved in 30%. Mean+/-S.D. area under curve of insulin decreased from 297.58+/-191.33 to 206+/-0.1 mIU/ml per min (P=0.005). Only 39.39% ovulated and 24.24% conceived. PCOD is associated with insulin resistance (IR) particularly in CC-resistant women. Insulin resistance and androgen levels are significantly higher in obese patients. MTF therapy improved hyperandrogenemia, IR, and pregnancy rate.

Fast-responder: Rapid mobile-phone access to recent remote sensing imagery for first responders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Talbot, L. M.; Talbot, B. G.

We introduce Fast-Responder, a novel prototype data-dissemination application and architecture concept to rapidly deliver remote sensing imagery to smartphones to enable situational awareness. The architecture implements a Fast-Earth image caching system on the phone and interacts with a Fast-Earth server. Prototype evaluation successfully demonstrated that National Guard users could select a location, download multiple remote sensing images, and flicker between images, all in less than a minute on a 3G mobile commercial link. The Fast-Responder architecture is a significant advance that is designed to meet the needs of mobile users, such as National Guard response units, to rapidly access information during a crisis, such as a natural or man-made disaster. This paper focuses on the architecture design and advanced user interface concepts for small-screens for highly active mobile users. Novel Fast-Responder concepts can also enable rapid dissemination and evaluation of imagery on the desktop, opening new technology horizons for both desktop and mobile users.

Effects of varenicline on ethanol- and food-maintained responding in a concurrent access procedure.

PubMed

Ginsburg, Brett C; Lamb, Richard J

2013-07-01

Varenicline has been reported to reduce drinking in smokers and to selectively decrease responding for ethanol (EtOH) versus alternatives in preclinical studies. Such selectivity may reflect potential therapeutic effects and the involvement of nicotinic receptors in EtOH reinforcement. However, these studies have been conducted with EtOH and an alternative available in isolation or in separate groups, and selectivity can depend on the context in which reinforcement occurs. Whether varenicline selectivity is maintained when EtOH and an alternative are concurrently available has not been reported. To examine the effects of varenicline on EtOH self-administration when an alternative is concurrently available, male Lewis rats (n = 5) were trained to respond for EtOH and food under a concurrent FR5 FRX schedule where the fixed ratio (FR) for food was adjusted (FR = 25 or 35 for each subject) to provide similar numbers of EtOH and food deliveries during a 30-minute session. Doses of varenicline (0.56 to 5.6 mg/kg, i.p.) or vehicle were administered 30 minutes before sessions. Effects of varenicline on responding across the session and during each tenth of the session were compared to responding following vehicle treatment. Lower doses (0.56 to 1.0 mg/kg) of varenicline increased responding for EtOH without affecting responding for food. Higher doses disrupted responding for EtOH and food similarly. Previous reports of varenicline selectivity on EtOH-maintained responding do not generalize to other experimental conditions such as a concurrent schedule. The increase in responding for EtOH following lower doses might be due to enhanced EtOH reinforcement, decreased food reinforcement, rate dependency, or greater perseverance on the initial, EtOH response. Copyright © 2013 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.

A Generalizability Analysis of Score Consistency for the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vispoel, Walter P.; Tao, Shuqin

2013-01-01

Our goal in this investigation was to evaluate the reliability of scores from the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding (BIDR) more comprehensively than in prior research using a generalizability-theory framework based on both dichotomous and polytomous scoring of items. Generalizability coefficients accounting for specific-factor, transient,…

Biliary stent migration: a brief review of potential complications and possible etiological factors.

PubMed

Cheruvu, Srinivas; Kennedy, Robert; Moshenyat, Yitzak; Momen, Mojdeh; Krishnaiah, Mahesh; Anand, Sury

2014-01-01

Biliary endoprostheses continue to demonstrate their utility and simplicity in daily therapeutic endoscopy. However, the transient nature of these foreign bodies also underscores their potential detrimental effects even after successful deployment. Stent related factors, such as type, length and caliber offer potential avenues to minimize the risk of migration. However, a patient related factor such as the presence of prior abdominal surgeries makes it paramount for endoscopists to ascertain the location of a migrated stent. There is a ripe niche for continued research and development in biodegradable stents.

MINER - A Mobile Imager of Neutrons for Emergency Responders

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Goldsmith, John E. M.; Brennan, James S.; Gerling, Mark D

2014-10-01

We have developed a mobile fast neutron imaging platform to enhance the capabilities of emergency responders in the localization and characterization of special nuclear material. This mobile imager of neutrons for emergency responders (MINER) is based on the Neutron Scatter Camera, a large segmented imaging system that was optimized for large-area search applications. Due to the reduced size and power requirements of a man-portable system, MINER has been engineered to fit a much smaller form factor, and to be operated from either a battery or AC power. We chose a design that enabled omnidirectional (4π) imaging, with only a ~twofoldmore » decrease in sensitivity compared to the much larger neutron scatter cameras. The system was designed to optimize its performance for neutron imaging and spectroscopy, but it does also function as a Compton camera for gamma imaging. This document outlines the project activities, broadly characterized as system development, laboratory measurements, and deployments, and presents sample results in these areas. Additional information can be found in the documents that reside in WebPMIS.« less

Adolescent mothers and child abuse potential: an evaluation of risk factors.

PubMed

Dukewich, T L; Borkowski, J G; Whitman, T L

1996-11-01

This research examines maternal and child factors that place adolescent mothers at risk for abusing their children. Using a longitudinal design, relationships among four risk factors (social supports, maternal psychological adjustment, maternal preparation for parenting, and child temperament), maternal psychological predisposition for aggressive coping (perceptions of stress and endorsements of punitive parenting), and maternal abuse potential were examined in a sample of 75 primiparous adolescent mothers and their children. Preparation for parenting, a construct which included knowledge and attitudes about children's development, was the strongest direct predictor of abuse potential; however, its effects were also partially mediated by the mother's psychological predisposition for aggressive coping. Similarly, the effects of child temperament on abuse were mediated by the mother's psychological predisposition for aggressive coping. Implications for designing intervention programs, and identifying at-risk adolescents, were also discussed.

The potential of the tree water potential.

PubMed

Steppe, Kathy

2018-06-12

Non-invasive quantification of tree water potential is one of the grand challenges for assessing the fate of trees and forests in the coming decades. Tree water potential is a robust and direct indicator of tree water status and is preferably used to track how trees, forests and vegetation in general respond to changes in climate and drought. In this issue of Tree Physiology, Dietrich et al. (2018) predict the daily canopy water potential of mature temperate trees from tree water deficit derived from stem diameter variation measurements.

Mapping Soil Erosion Factors and Potential Erosion Risk for the National Park "Central Balkan"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ilieva, Diliana; Malinov, Ilia

2014-05-01

Soil erosion is widely recognised environmental problem. The report aims at presenting the main results from assessment and mapping of the factors of sheet water erosion and the potential erosion risk on the territory of National Park "Central Balkan". For this purpose, the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) was used for predicting soil loss from erosion. The influence of topography (LS-factor) and soil erodibility (K-factor) was assessed using small-scale topographic and soil maps. Rainfall erosivity (R-factor) was calculated from data of rainfalls with amounts exceeding 9.5 mm from 14 hydro-meteorological stations. The values of the erosion factors (R, K and LS) were presented for the areas of forest, sub-alpine and alpine zones. Using the methods of GIS, maps were plotted presenting the area distribution among the classes of the soil erosion factors and the potential risk in the respective zones. The results can be used for making accurate decisions for soil conservation and sustainable land management in the park.

Female respondent acceptance of computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) for maternal, newborn and child health coverage surveys in rural Uganda.

PubMed

Mercader, Hannah Faye G; Kabakyenga, Jerome; Katuruba, David Tumusiime; Hobbs, Amy J; Brenner, Jennifer L

2017-02-01

High maternal and child mortality continues in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Measurement of maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) coverage indicators often involves an expensive, complex, and lengthy household data collection process that is especially difficult in less-resourced settings. Computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) has been proposed as a cost-effective and efficient alternative to traditional paper-and-pencil interviewing (PAPI). However, the literature on respondent-level acceptance of CAPI in LMIC has reported mixed outcomes. This is the first study to prospectively examine female respondent acceptance of CAPI and its influencing factors for MNCH data collection in rural Southwest Uganda. Eighteen women aged 15-49 years were randomly selected from 3 rural villages to participate. Each respondent was administered a Women's Questionnaire with half of the survey questions asked using PAPI techniques and the other half using CAPI. Following this PAPI/CAPI exposure, semi-structured focus group discussions (FGDs) assessed respondent attitudes towards PAPI versus CAPI. FGD data analysis involved an immersion/crystallization method (thematic narrative analysis). The sixteen FGD respondents had a median age of 27 (interquartile range: 24.8, 32.3) years old. The majority (62.5%) had only primary level education. Most respondents (68.8%) owned or regularly used a mobile phone or computer. Few respondents (31.3%) had previously seen but not used a tablet computer. Overall, FGDs revealed CAPI acceptance and the factors influencing CAPI acceptability were 'familiarity', 'data confidentiality and security', 'data accuracy', and 'modernization and development'. Female survey respondents in our rural Southwest Ugandan setting found CAPI to be acceptable. Global health planners and implementers considering CAPI for health coverage survey data collection should accommodate influencing factors during survey planning in order to maximize and

Antibiotic-associated diarrhea and the older dental patient: how do dentists respond?

PubMed

Zwetchkenbaum, Samuel R; Overbeck, Kevin J; Pomerantz, Sherry C

2015-01-01

Gastrointestinal complications from antibiotic use, including Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), can have significant morbidity, especially among older patients. This descriptive study surveyed dentists to find out how they would respond to a patient with signs indicating potential CDI. A survey on prescribing medications for older patients was mailed to 1,000 dentists in New Jersey. Questions were asked regarding antibiotic selection, probiotic use, and approach to a patient scenario of diarrhea after antibiotic use. Respondents chose amoxicillin most frequently as an antibiotic, and clindamycin if penicillin allergy. When informed their patients had diarrhea, 64.5% advised them to stop the antibiotic. If the patient continued to have diarrhea on follow-up, 75.5% contacted the patient's physician. Most (61.6%) do not prescribe probiotics prophylactically. Most dentists respond appropriately to antibiotic-associated diarrhea in advising to stop the antibiotic, and seeking physician involvement if no improvement, but there are still many who make recommendations that could delay appropriate care. Dentists may wish to learn more about benefits of probiotics. © 2015 Special Care Dentistry Association and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Unhealthy behaviors and psychosocial difficulties among overweight adolescents: the potential impact of familial factors.

PubMed

Mellin, Alison E; Neumark-Sztainer, Dianne; Story, Mary; Ireland, Marjorie; Resnick, Michael D

2002-08-01

To compare overweight and non-overweight youth on a selection of self-reported eating, physical activity, dieting, educational, and emotional variables and identify familial factors that serve as protective forces against unhealthy behaviors and psychosocial difficulties among overweight adolescents. Data were taken from a 1996 cross-sectional school-based survey of 9957 adolescents in grades 7, 9, and 11. Based on self-reported heights and weights, respondents were categorized as "overweight" (body mass index) > or =85th percentile or "non-overweight." Student's t-tests were used to compare the non-overweight and overweight sample on the self-reported health-related behaviors and psychosocial variables. Logistic and linear regressions were used to identify familial factors associated with a reduced risk of engaging in unhealthy behaviors and experiencing psychosocial distress. Overweight adolescents reported engaging in significantly more unhealthy behaviors and experiencing more psychosocial distress than their non-overweight peers. Among the overweight youth, higher levels of reported family connectedness and parental expectations and moderate levels of parental monitoring were associated with the lowest levels of unhealthy behaviors and psychosocial distress. Satisfying and developmentally appropriate parent-adolescent relationships are associated with reduced behavioral and psychosocial risk factors associated with overweight during adolescence.

The expanding universe of neurotrophic factors: therapeutic potential in aging and age-associated disorders.

PubMed

Lanni, C; Stanga, S; Racchi, M; Govoni, S

2010-01-01

Multiple molecular, cellular, structural and functional changes occur in the brain during aging. Neural cells may respond to these changes adaptively by employing multiple mechanisms in order to maintain the integrity of nerve cell circuits and to facilitate responses to environmental demands. Otherwise, they may succumb to neurodegenerative cascades that result in disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. An important role in this balancement is played by neurotrophic factors, which are central to many aspects of nervous system function since they regulate the development, maintenance and survival of neurons and neuron-supporting cells such as glia and oligodendrocytes. A vast amount of evidence indicates that alterations in levels of neurotrophic factors or their receptors can lead to neuronal death and contribute to aging as well as to the pathogenesis of diseases of abnormal trophic support (such as neurodegenerative diseases and depression) and diseases of abnormal excitability (such as epilepsy and central pain sensitization). Cellular and molecular mechanisms by which neurotrophic factors may influence cell survival and excitability are also critically examined to provide novel concepts and targets for the treatment of physiological changes bearing detrimental functional alterations and of different diseases affecting the central nervous system during aging.

Appraisal of the Operation Respond Emergency Information System (OREIS)

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-04-01

The Operation Respond Institute has been instrumental in developing the Operation Respond Emergency Information System (OREIS) for first responders to hazardous material incidents in transportation. The Operation Respond system aims to facilitate rap...

How tree roots respond to drought

PubMed Central

Brunner, Ivano; Herzog, Claude; Dawes, Melissa A.; Arend, Matthias; Sperisen, Christoph

2015-01-01

The ongoing climate change is characterized by increased temperatures and altered precipitation patterns. In addition, there has been an increase in both the frequency and intensity of extreme climatic events such as drought. Episodes of drought induce a series of interconnected effects, all of which have the potential to alter the carbon balance of forest ecosystems profoundly at different scales of plant organization and ecosystem functioning. During recent years, considerable progress has been made in the understanding of how aboveground parts of trees respond to drought and how these responses affect carbon assimilation. In contrast, processes of belowground parts are relatively underrepresented in research on climate change. In this review, we describe current knowledge about responses of tree roots to drought. Tree roots are capable of responding to drought through a variety of strategies that enable them to avoid and tolerate stress. Responses include root biomass adjustments, anatomical alterations, and physiological acclimations. The molecular mechanisms underlying these responses are characterized to some extent, and involve stress signaling and the induction of numerous genes, leading to the activation of tolerance pathways. In addition, mycorrhizas seem to play important protective roles. The current knowledge compiled in this review supports the view that tree roots are well equipped to withstand drought situations and maintain morphological and physiological functions as long as possible. Further, the reviewed literature demonstrates the important role of tree roots in the functioning of forest ecosystems and highlights the need for more research in this emerging field. PMID:26284083

Sperm-derived factors enhance the in vitro developmental potential of haploid parthenotes.

PubMed

Nair, Ramya; Aboobacker, Shahin; Mutalik, Srinivas; Kalthur, Guruprasad; Adiga, Satish Kumar

2017-12-01

Parthenotes are characterized by poor in vitro developmental potential either due to the ploidy status or the absence of paternal factors. In the present study, we demonstrate the beneficial role of sperm-derived factors (SDF) on the in vitro development of mouse parthenotes. Mature (MII) oocytes collected from superovulated Swiss albino mice were activated using strontium chloride (SrCl2) in the presence or absence of various concentrations of SDF in M16 medium. The presence of SDF in activation medium did not have any significant influence on the activation rate. However, a significant increase in the developmental potential of the embryos and increased blastocyst rate (P < 0.01) was observed at 50 µg/ml concentration. Furthermore, the activated oocytes from this group exhibited early cleavage and cortical distribution of cortical granules that was similar to that of normally fertilized zygotes. Culturing 2-cell stage parthenotes in the presence of SDF significantly improved the developmental potential (P < 0.05) indicating that they also play a significant role in embryo development. In conclusion, artificial activation of oocytes with SDF can improve the developmental potential of parthenotes in vitro.

Development of a highway incident management operational and training guide for incident responders in Illinois.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-08-01

Each year highway traffic incidents, such as crashes, place responders on and beside roadways with : dangerous high-speed traffic. The unexpected conditions of an incident scene have the potential to surprise : unsuspecting or inattentive drivers, po...

Factors Potentially Influencing Student Acceptance of Biological Evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiles, Jason R.

This investigation explored scientific, religious, and otherwise nonscientific factors that may influence student acceptance of biological evolution and related concepts, how students perceived these factors to have influenced their levels of acceptance of evolution and changes therein, and what patterns arose among students' articulations of how their levels of acceptance of evolution may have changed. This exploration also measured the extent to which students' levels of acceptance changed following a treatment designed to address factors identified as potentially affecting student acceptance of evolution. Acceptance of evolution was measured using the MATE instrument (Rutledge and Warden, 1999; Rutledge and Sadler, 2007) among participants enrolled in a secondary-level academic program during the summer prior to their final year of high school and as they transitioned to the post-secondary level. Student acceptance of evolution was measured to be significantly higher than pre-treatment levels both immediately following and slightly over one year after treatment. Qualitative data from informal questionnaires, from formal course evaluations, and from semi-structured interviews of students engaged in secondary level education and former students at various stages of post-secondary education confirmed that the suspected factors were perceived by participants to have influenced their levels of acceptance of evolution. Furthermore, participant reports provided insight regarding the relative effects they perceived these factors to have had on their evolution acceptance levels. Additionally, many participants reported that their science teachers in public schools had avoided, omitted, or denigrated evolution during instruction, and several of these students expressed frustration regarding what they perceived to have been a lack of education of an important scientific principle. Finally, no students expressed feelings of being offended by having been taught about

Benchmarking Potential Factors Leading to Education Quality: A Study of Cambodian Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Ching-Yaw; Sok, Phyra; Sok, Keomony

2007-01-01

Purpose: To study the quality in higher education in Cambodia and explore the potential factors leading to quality in Cambodian higher education. Design/methodology/approach: Five main factors that were deemed relevant in providing quality in Cambodian higher education were proposed: academic curriculum and extra-curricular activities, teachers'…

Lysosomal Adaptation: How the Lysosome Responds to External Cues

PubMed Central

Settembre, Carmine; Ballabio, Andrea

2014-01-01

Recent evidence indicates that the importance of the lysosome in cell metabolism and organism physiology goes far beyond the simple disposal of cellular garbage. This dynamic organelle is situated at the crossroad of the most important cellular pathways and is involved in sensing, signaling, and transcriptional mechanisms that respond to environmental cues, such as nutrients. Two main mediators of these lysosomal adaptation mechanisms are the mTORC1 kinase complex and the transcription factor EB (TFEB). These two factors are linked in a lysosome-to-nucleus signaling pathway that provides the lysosome with the ability to adapt to extracellular cues and control its own biogenesis. Modulation of lysosomal function by acting on TFEB has a profound impact on cellular clearance and energy metabolism and is a promising therapeutic target for a large variety of disease conditions. PMID:24799353

Working conditions, psychosocial environmental factors, and depressive symptoms among wage workers in South Korea.

PubMed

Sohn, Minsung; Choi, Mankyu; Jung, Minsoo

2016-07-01

In South Korea, the number of workers suffering from mental illnesses, such as depression, has rapidly increased. There is growing concern about depressive symptoms being associated with both working conditions and psychosocial environmental factors. To investigate potential psychosocial environmental moderators in the relationship between working conditions and occupational depressive symptoms among wage workers. Data were obtained from the wage worker respondents (n = 4,095) of the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of 2009. First, chi-square tests confirmed the differences in working conditions and psychosocial characteristics between depressive and non-depressive groups. Second, multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the moderating effects of the psychosocial environmental factors between working conditions and depressive symptoms. After adjusting for potential covariates, the likelihood of depressive symptomatology was high among respondents who had dangerous jobs and flexible work hours compared to those who had standard jobs and fixed daytime work hours (OR = 1.66 and 1.59, respectively). Regarding psychosocial factors, respondents with high job demands, low job control, and low social support were more likely to have depressive symptoms (OR = 1.26, 1.58 and 1.61, respectively). There is a need to develop non-occupational intervention programs, which provide workers with training about workplace depression and improve social support, and the programs should provide time for employees to have active communication. Additionally, companies should provide employees with support to access mental healthcare thereby decreasing the occurrence of workplace depression.

The Effects of Physical Exercise and Cognitive Training on Memory and Neurotrophic Factors.

PubMed

Heisz, Jennifer J; Clark, Ilana B; Bonin, Katija; Paolucci, Emily M; Michalski, Bernadeta; Becker, Suzanna; Fahnestock, Margaret

2017-11-01

This study examined the combined effect of physical exercise and cognitive training on memory and neurotrophic factors in healthy, young adults. Ninety-five participants completed 6 weeks of exercise training, combined exercise and cognitive training, or no training (control). Both the exercise and combined training groups improved performance on a high-interference memory task, whereas the control group did not. In contrast, neither training group improved on general recognition performance, suggesting that exercise training selectively increases high-interference memory that may be linked to hippocampal function. Individuals who experienced greater fitness improvements from the exercise training (i.e., high responders to exercise) also had greater increases in the serum neurotrophic factors brain-derived neurotrophic factor and insulin-like growth factor-1. These high responders to exercise also had better high-interference memory performance as a result of the combined exercise and cognitive training compared with exercise alone, suggesting that potential synergistic effects might depend on the availability of neurotrophic factors. These findings are especially important, as memory benefits accrued from a relatively short intervention in high-functioning young adults.

Utility of Respondent Driven Sampling to Reach Disadvantaged Emerging Adults for Assessment of Substance Use, Weight, and Sexual Behaviors.

PubMed

Tucker, Jalie A; Simpson, Cathy A; Chandler, Susan D; Borch, Casey A; Davies, Susan L; Kerbawy, Shatomi J; Lewis, Terri H; Crawford, M Scott; Cheong, JeeWon; Michael, Max

2016-01-01

Emerging adulthood often entails heightened risk-taking with potential life-long consequences, and research on risk behaviors is needed to guide prevention programming, particularly in under-served and difficult to reach populations. This study evaluated the utility of Respondent Driven Sampling (RDS), a peer-driven methodology that corrects limitations of snowball sampling, to reach at-risk African American emerging adults from disadvantaged urban communities. Initial "seed" participants from the target group recruited peers, who then recruited their peers in an iterative process (110 males, 234 females; M age = 18.86 years). Structured field interviews assessed common health risk factors, including substance use, overweight/obesity, and sexual behaviors. Established gender-and age-related associations with risk factors were replicated, and sample risk profiles and prevalence estimates compared favorably with matched samples from representative U.S. national surveys. Findings supported the use of RDS as a sampling method and grassroots platform for research and prevention with community-dwelling risk groups.

Electronic health records: critical success factors in implementation.

PubMed

Safdari, Reza; Ghazisaeidi, Marjan; Jebraeily, Mohamad

2015-04-01

EHR implementation results in the improved quality of care, customer-orientation and timely access to complete information. Despite the potential benefits of EHR, its implementation is a difficult and complex task whose success depends on many factors. The purpose of this research is indeed to identify the key success factors of EHR. This is a cross-sectional survey conducted with participation of 340 work forces from different types of job from Hospitals of TUMS in 2014. Data were collected using a self-structured questionnaire which was estimated as both reliable and valid. The data were analyzed by SPSS software descriptive statistics and analytical statistics. 58.2% of respondents were female and their mean age and work experience were 37.7 and 11.2 years, respectively and most respondents (52.5%) was bachelor. In terms of job, the maximum rate was related to nursing (33 %) and physician (21 %). the main category of critical success factors in Implementation EHRs, the highest rate related to Project Management (4.62) and lowest related to Organizational factors (3.98). success in implementation EHRs requirement more centralization to project management and human factors. Therefore must be Creating to EHR roadmap implementation, establishment teamwork to participation of end-users and select prepare leadership, users obtains sufficient training to use of system and also prepare support from maintain and promotion system.

First responders and psychological first aid.

PubMed

Pekevski, Jordan

2013-01-01

Emergencies and disasters are common and occur on a daily basis. Although most survivors will not experience any long-term negative mental health effects, some will. First responders tend to have first contact with the survivors and, therefore, are in a position to provide needed mental health assistance to survivors. Psychological first aid (PFA) is an evidence-informed approach to providing support to survivors following a serious crisis event, and it aims to reduce the initial distress of the traumatic event and to promote adaptive functioning and coping. PFA has gained a great deal of attention lately, likely due to the fact that it is easy to provide. This article discusses the potential negative effects of emergencies and disasters on mental health, provides a description of PFA and discusses its application, and provides an overview of the research base of PFA and a discussion on the need for future research.

Development of an Inconsistent Responding Scale for the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure.

PubMed

Mowle, Elyse N; Kelley, Shannon E; Edens, John F; Donnellan, M Brent; Smith, Shannon Toney; Wygant, Dustin B; Sellbom, Martin

2017-08-01

Inconsistent or careless responding to self-report measures is estimated to occur in approximately 10% of university research participants and may be even more common among offender populations. Inconsistent responding may be a result of a number of factors including inattentiveness, reading or comprehension difficulties, and cognitive impairment. Many stand-alone personality scales used in applied and research settings, however, do not include validity indicators to help identify inattentive response patterns. Using multiple archival samples, the current study describes the development of an inconsistent responding scale for the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure (TriPM; Patrick, 2010), a widely used self-report measure of psychopathy. We first identified pairs of correlated TriPM items in a derivation sample (N = 2,138) and then created a total score based on the sum of the absolute value of the differences for each item pair. The resulting scale, the Triarchic Assessment Procedure for Inconsistent Responding (TAPIR), strongly differentiated between genuine TriPM protocols and randomly generated TriPM data (N = 1,000), as well as between genuine protocols and those in which 50% of the original data were replaced with random item responses. TAPIR scores demonstrated fairly consistent patterns of association with some theoretically relevant correlates (e.g., inconsistency scales embedded in other personality inventories), although not others (e.g., measures of conscientiousness) across our cross-validation samples. Tentative TAPIR cut scores that may discriminate between attentively and carelessly completed protocols are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

The quantified EEG characteristics of responders and non-responders to long-term treatment with atomoxetine in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorders.

PubMed

Chiarenza, Giuseppe Augusto; Chabot, Robert; Isenhart, Robert; Montaldi, Luciano; Chiarenza, Marco Paolo; Torto, Maria Grazia Lo; Prichep, Leslie S

2016-06-01

The aim of our study is to examine quantitative Electroencephalogram (QEEG) differences between ADHD patients that are responders and non-responders to long-term treatment with Atomoxetine at baseline and after 6 and 12months of treatment. Patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) received atomoxetine titrated, over 7days, from 0.5 to 1.2mg/kg/day. QEEG and Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham-IV Questionnaire (SNAP-IV) scores were recorded before treatment and after therapy. Twenty minutes of eyes closed resting EEG was recorded from 19 electrodes referenced to linked earlobes. Full frequency and narrow band spectra of two minutes of artifact-free EEG were computed as well as source localization using Variable Resolution Electrical Tomography (VARETA). Abnormalities were identified using Z-spectra relative to normative values. Patients were classified as responders, non-responders and partial responders based upon the SNAP-IV findings. At baseline, the responders showed increased absolute power in alpha and delta in frontal and temporal regions, whereas, non-responders showed increased absolute power in all frequency bands that was widely distributed. With treatment responders' absolute power values moved toward normal values, whereas, non-responders remained at baseline values. Patients with increased power in the alpha band with no evidence of alterations in the beta or theta range, might be responders to treatment with atomoxetine. Increased power in the beta band coupled with increased alpha seems to be related to non-responders and one should consider atomoxetine withdrawal, especially if there is persistence of increased alpha and beta accompanied by an increase of theta. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Factors associated with primary care professionals' readiness to respond to intimate partner violence in Spain].

PubMed

Murillo, Pilar; Sebastián, Miguel San; Vives-Cases, Carmen; Goicolea, Isabel

2017-05-22

To analyse the Spanish primary care professionals' readiness to respond to intimate partner violence (IPV) in primary care and identify possible determinants that could facilitate a better response. A cross-sectional study with a non-probabilistic sampling by convenience was performed among healthcare professionals working in 15 primary care centres in Spain. The Physician Readiness to Manage Intimate Partner Violence Survey (PREMIS), the version validated and translated into Spanish, was the instrument used to collect information about knowledge, opinions and practices regarding intimate partner violence. Descriptive analysis and, simple and multiple linear regression analysis were performed. A total of 265 completed questionnaires were received, with a response rate of 80.3%. An exposure-response effect was observed, where at higher hours of training a higher score was obtained on the questionnaire sections (p <0.05). Age, type of profession, years of experience in primary care, hours of IPV training and reading the protocol showed positive association with knowledge (perceived preparation, perceived knowledge, actual knowledge), opinions (staff preparation, legal requirements, self-efficacy, workplace issues, constraints, understanding of the victim) and practice of healthcare professionals. Reading the regional/national protocol for action and receiving training in IPV were the most important interventions associated to a better primary care professionals' readiness to respond to IPV in Spanish primary care settings. Copyright © 2017 SESPAS. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Improving Situational Awareness for First Responders via Mobile Computing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Betts, Bradley J.; Mah, Robert W.; Papasin, Richard; Del Mundo, Rommel; McIntosh, Dawn M.; Jorgensen, Charles

2005-01-01

This project looks to improve first responder situational awareness using tools and techniques of mobile computing. The prototype system combines wireless communication, real-time location determination, digital imaging, and three-dimensional graphics. Responder locations are tracked in an outdoor environment via GPS and uploaded to a central server via GPRS or an 802.11 network. Responders can also wirelessly share digital images and text reports, both with other responders and with the incident commander. A pre-built three dimensional graphics model of a particular emergency scene is used to visualize responder and report locations. Responders have a choice of information end points, ranging from programmable cellular phones to tablet computers. The system also employs location-aware computing to make responders aware of particular hazards as they approach them. The prototype was developed in conjunction with the NASA Ames Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team and has undergone field testing during responder exercise at NASA Ames.

Improving Situational Awareness for First Responders via Mobile Computing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Betts, Bradley J.; Mah, Robert W.; Papasin, Richard; Del Mundo, Rommel; McIntosh, Dawn M.; Jorgensen, Charles

2006-01-01

This project looks to improve first responder incident command, and an appropriately managed flow of situational awareness using mobile computing techniques. The prototype system combines wireless communication, real-time location determination, digital imaging, and three-dimensional graphics. Responder locations are tracked in an outdoor environment via GPS and uploaded to a central server via GPRS or an 802. II network. Responders can also wireless share digital images and text reports, both with other responders and with the incident commander. A pre-built three dimensional graphics model of the emergency scene is used to visualize responder and report locations. Responders have a choice of information end points, ranging from programmable cellular phones to tablet computers. The system also employs location-aware computing to make responders aware of particular hazards as they approach them. The prototype was developed in conjunction with the NASA Ames Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team and has undergone field testing during responder exercises at NASA Ames.

Identifying and responding to factors that can affect egg quality and appearance

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Many factors can influence egg quality and appearance. These factors will vary depending upon the housing environment, genetics, drugs, feed ingredients, or chemicals used in agriculture. As egg production methods become more varied—for example, changing from cage to free range—and as layer strains ...

Factors Influencing Orthopedic Surgery Residents' Choice of Subspecialty Fellowship.

PubMed

Kavolus, Joseph J; Matson, Andrew P; Byrd, William A; Brigman, Brian E

2017-09-01

In the setting of increasing student debt, a rapidly changing health care system, and growing transparency in the age of outcome reporting, residents have many factors to consider when determining which fellowship to pursue. An institutional review board-approved link to an online survey was emailed to orthopedic surgery trainees across the United States. Demographics were collected, and 14 fellowship influences were assessed using a Likert scale. A total of 360 responses were received. Of the respondents, 85.5% (n=308) were male and 14.5% (n=52) were female. Responses were received from every region of the United States and from every postgraduate year. Respondents represented the gamut of relationship status and indebtedness. Respondents were interested in all of the current major subspecialties. Pursuit of an intellectually stimulating subspecialty had the highest average Likert score (3.38), followed by variety of cases (3.26). The lowest scores were for residency program with a strong tradition of placing into a particular subspecialty (2.08) and potential to conduct research in that subspecialty (2.09). Marital status, number of children, and level of debt did not significantly affect the importance of factors in selecting a fellowship. Choice of subspecialty did influence the level of importance of various factors. Intellectual stimulation and a strong mentor were the most influential factors in the decision to pursue a given fellowship. Because fellowship is now the norm, it is important to understand the motives behind young orthopedic surgeons' career aspirations. [Orthopedics. 2017; 40(5):e820-e824.]. Copyright 2017, SLACK Incorporated.

Responding to Tragedy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coopman, J. T.

2009-01-01

In this article, the author, a superintendent of Clark-Pleasant School Corporation in Whiteland, Indiana, relates how she and the school community responded to a car accident that killed two students. The author stresses the need to develop a comprehensive crisis plan. It is also important to be sensitive to the needs of family members who are…

Filicide-suicide ideation among Taiwanese parents with school-aged children: prevalence and associated factors.

PubMed

Wei, Hsi-Sheng; Chen, Ji-Kang

2014-03-01

This study explored the prevalence of filicide-suicide ideation among Taiwanese parents with school-aged children. Multiple risk factors associated with filicide-suicide ideation were assessed, and the potential effect of traditional family values was evaluated. A random sample of 1,564 parents was recruited from 21 elementary schools in a rural area of Taiwan. Potential risk factors, including demographics, family finance, psychological maladjustment, family interaction, and cultural beliefs, were further examined using a hierarchical logistic regression. Overall, 14.6% of the respondents reported having filicide-suicide ideation during the past year. The hierarchical logistic regression analysis showed that demographic factors including age, gender, and ethnicity had no significant effect. Family finances, depression, and conflict with the respondent's spouse were positively associated with filicide-suicide ideation. Finally, the parents' beliefs in traditional family values had a positive effect on filicide-suicide ideation. In other words, filicide-suicide thoughts were more common among those who upheld a strong parental responsibility for care giving and family solidarity. This study revealed a substantial prevalence of filicide-suicide ideation among local parents and identified a number of risk factors associated with those thoughts, namely family financial status, parental depression, and conflict with one's spouse. More importantly, the results highlighted the effect of traditional family values in the process. The potential intention of filicide-suicide as mercy killing and its cultural relevance were discussed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Endogenous Antiangiogenic Factors in Chronic Kidney Disease: Potential Biomarkers of Progression.

PubMed

Tanabe, Katsuyuki; Sato, Yasufumi; Wada, Jun

2018-06-24

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major global health problem. Unless intensive intervention is initiated, some patients can rapidly progress to end-stage kidney disease. However, it is often difficult to predict renal outcomes using conventional laboratory tests in individuals with CKD. Therefore, many researchers have been searching for novel biomarkers to predict the progression of CKD. Angiogenesis is involved in physiological and pathological processes in the kidney and is regulated by the balance between a proangiogenic factor, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A, and various endogenous antiangiogenic factors. In recent reports using genetically engineered mice, the roles of these antiangiogenic factors in the pathogenesis of kidney disease have become increasingly clear. In addition, recent clinical studies have demonstrated associations between circulating levels of antiangiogenic factors and renal dysfunction in CKD patients. In this review, we summarize recent advances in the study of representative endogenous antiangiogenic factors, including soluble fms-related tyrosine kinase 1, soluble endoglin, pigment epithelium-derived factor, VEGF-A 165 b, endostatin, and vasohibin-1, in associations with kidney diseases and discuss their predictive potentials as biomarkers of progression of CKD.

Do Customers Flee From HIV? A Survey of HIV Stigma and Its Potential Economic Consequences on Small Businesses in Tshwane (Pretoria), South Africa.

PubMed

Chao, Li-Wei; Szrek, Helena; Leite, Rui; Ramlagan, Shandir; Peltzer, Karl

2017-01-01

HIV stigma and discrimination affect care-seeking behavior and may also affect entrepreneurial activity. We interview 2382 individuals in Pretoria, South Africa, and show that respondents believe that businesses with known HIV+ workers may lose up to half of their customers, although the impact depends on the type of business. Survey respondents' fear of getting HIV from consuming everyday products sold by the business-despite a real infection risk of zero-was a major factor driving perceived decline in customers, especially among food businesses. Respondents' perceptions of the decline in overall life satisfaction when one gets sick from HIV and the respondent's dislike of people with HIV were also important predictors of potential customer exit. We suggest policy mechanisms that could improve the earnings potential of HIV+ workers: reducing public health scare tactics that exacerbate irrational fear of HIV infection risk and enriching public health education about HIV and ARVs to improve perceptions about people with HIV.

78 FR 53124 - First Responder Network Authority Filing

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-28

...-229; and WT Docket No. 06-150; DA 13-1775] First Responder Network Authority Filing AGENCY: Federal... public comment on a filing submitted by the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) on August 2... Commission provides seven days for public comment on matters raised by the First Responder Network Authority...

28 CFR 115.64 - Staff first responder duties.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Staff first responder duties. 115.64....64 Staff first responder duties. (a) Upon learning of an allegation that an inmate was sexually abused, the first security staff member to respond to the report shall be required to: (1) Separate the...

28 CFR 115.364 - Staff first responder duties.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Staff first responder duties. 115.364....364 Staff first responder duties. (a) Upon learning of an allegation that a resident was sexually abused, the first staff member to respond to the report shall be required to: (1) Separate the alleged...

28 CFR 115.64 - Staff first responder duties.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Staff first responder duties. 115.64....64 Staff first responder duties. (a) Upon learning of an allegation that an inmate was sexually abused, the first security staff member to respond to the report shall be required to: (1) Separate the...

28 CFR 115.64 - Staff first responder duties.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Staff first responder duties. 115.64....64 Staff first responder duties. (a) Upon learning of an allegation that an inmate was sexually abused, the first security staff member to respond to the report shall be required to: (1) Separate the...

28 CFR 115.364 - Staff first responder duties.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Staff first responder duties. 115.364....364 Staff first responder duties. (a) Upon learning of an allegation that a resident was sexually abused, the first staff member to respond to the report shall be required to: (1) Separate the alleged...

28 CFR 115.364 - Staff first responder duties.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Staff first responder duties. 115.364....364 Staff first responder duties. (a) Upon learning of an allegation that a resident was sexually abused, the first staff member to respond to the report shall be required to: (1) Separate the alleged...

Self-Efficacy and Select Characteristics in Nurses Who Respond to a Pediatric Emergency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McNeill, Nancy

2016-01-01

Nurses at a suburban northeastern U.S. community hospital reported that they felt unprepared to effectively respond to a pediatric emergency. Empirical data were not available to identify if this local problem was due to a lack of the nurses' self-confidence or if other factors were involved. The purpose of this study was to determine if there…

The Potential of Transcription Factor-Based Genetic Engineering in Improving Crop Tolerance to Drought

PubMed Central

Tripathi, Prateek

2014-01-01

Abstract Drought is one of the major constraints in crop production and has an effect on a global scale. In order to improve crop production, it is necessary to understand how plants respond to stress. A good understanding of regulatory mechanisms involved in plant responses during drought will enable researchers to explore and manipulate key regulatory points in order to enhance stress tolerance in crops. Transcription factors (TFs) have played an important role in crop improvement from the dawn of agriculture. TFs are therefore good candidates for genetic engineering to improve crop tolerance to drought because of their role as master regulators of clusters of genes. Many families of TFs, such as CCAAT, homeodomain, bHLH, NAC, AP2/ERF, bZIP, and WRKY have members that may have the potential to be tools for improving crop tolerance to drought. In this review, the roles of TFs as tools to improve drought tolerance in crops are discussed. The review also focuses on current strategies in the use of TFs, with emphasis on several major TF families in improving drought tolerance of major crops. Finally, many promising transgenic lines that may have improved drought responses have been poorly characterized and consequently their usefulness in the field is uncertain. New advances in high-throughput phenotyping, both greenhouse and field based, should facilitate improved phenomics of transgenic lines. Systems biology approaches should then define the underlying changes that result in higher yields under water stress conditions. These new technologies should help show whether manipulating TFs can have effects on yield under field conditions. PMID:25118806

Responding for a conditioned reinforcer or unconditioned sensory reinforcer in mice: interactions with environmental enrichment, social isolation, and monoamine reuptake inhibitors.

PubMed

Browne, Caleb J; Fletcher, Paul J; Zeeb, Fiona D

2016-03-01

Environmental factors influence the etiology of many psychiatric disorders. Likewise, environmental factors can alter processes central to motivation. Therefore, motivational deficits present in many disorders may be influenced by early life environmental conditions. We examined whether housing animals in different environmental conditions influenced the ability of sensory stimuli to acquire incentive value and whether elevated monoamine activity altered responsing for these stimuli. Isolation-housed (IH), pair-housed (PH), and environmentally enriched (EE) male C57BL/6N mice were examined in tests of responding for a conditioned reinforcer (CRf) or an unconditioned sensory reinforcer (USRf). The CRf was previously paired with saccharin delivery through Pavlovian conditioning, while the USRf was not conditioned with a reward. Following baseline tests of responding for the CRf or USRf, the effects of elevated monoamine activity were examined. At baseline, PH and EE mice responded similarly for the CRf or USRf. IH mice responded more for the CRf but exhibited slower acquisition of responding for the USRf. Administration of citalopram, a serotonin transporter blocker, or atomoxetine, a norepinephrine transporter blocker, decreased responding for the CRf and USRf in all groups. The dopamine transporter blocker GBR 12909 generally increased responding for the CRf and USRf, but further analysis revealed enhanced responding for both reinforcers only in EE mice. Baseline incentive motivation is strongly influenced by the social component of housing conditions. Furthermore, environmental enrichment increased the sensitivity to elevated dopamine activity, while acute elevations in serotonin and norepinephrine inhibit incentive motivation irrespective of housing condition.

IgA rheumatoid factor as a serological predictor of poor response to tumour necrosis factor α inhibitors in rheumatoid arthritis.

PubMed

Sakthiswary, Rajalingham; Shaharir, Syahrul S; Mohd Said, Mohd S; Asrul, Abdul W; Shahril, Nor S

2014-11-01

The main objective of this study is to elucidate the role of immunoglobulin A (IgA) rheumatoid factor (RF) in predicting the clinical response to tumour necrosis factor α inhibitors (TNFi) among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We recruited all patients with RA who were ever on TNFi for a minimum duration of 3 months at our centre. Based on the European League Against Rheumatism response criteria, subjects were further divided into responders and non-responders. Age-matched RA patients who were on conventional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs and in remission were enrolled as controls. Subjects were tested for quantitative values of IgA, IgM, IgG RF and anti-citrulinated cyclic peptides (CCP). Further, all subjects were assessed for the disease activity score that includes 28 joints (DAS28) and Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) 8-item Disability Index (HAQ-DI). A total of 31 subjects with RA who had received TNFi and 15 controls were enrolled in this study. There was a trend for the non-responders (n = 10) to have higher levels of all isotypes of RF and anti-CCP. However, only the IgA RF and anti-CCP levels were significantly higher in the non-responder group compared to the responders and controls (P = 0.001, P = 0.034, respectively). On multivariate analysis, only the IgA RF remained significant (OR 0.989; 95% CI 0.980-0.999; P = 0.026). IgA RF is potentially a novel predictor of response to TNFi in RA patients. Testing for pretreatment IgA RF levels could be a reasonable consideration before commencement of TNFi. © 2014 Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

28 CFR 115.264 - Staff first responder duties.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Staff first responder duties. 115.264... Report § 115.264 Staff first responder duties. (a) Upon learning of an allegation that a resident was sexually abused, the first security staff member to respond to the report shall be required to: (1...

28 CFR 115.264 - Staff first responder duties.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Staff first responder duties. 115.264... Report § 115.264 Staff first responder duties. (a) Upon learning of an allegation that a resident was sexually abused, the first security staff member to respond to the report shall be required to: (1...

28 CFR 115.264 - Staff first responder duties.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Staff first responder duties. 115.264... Report § 115.264 Staff first responder duties. (a) Upon learning of an allegation that a resident was sexually abused, the first security staff member to respond to the report shall be required to: (1...

Comparison of MicroRNAs Mediated in Reactivation of the γ-Globin in β-Thalassemia Patients, Responders and Non-Responders to Hydroxyurea.

PubMed

Hojjati, Mohammad T; Azarkeivan, Azita; Pourfathollah, Ali A; Amirizadeh, Naser

2017-03-01

Drug induction of Hb F seems to be an ideal therapy for patients with hemoglobin (Hb) disorders, and many efforts have been made to reveal the mechanism behind it. Thus, we examined in vivo expression of some microRNAs (miRNAs) that are thought to be involved in this process. Among β-thalassemia (β-thal) patients who were undergoing hydroxyurea (HU) therapy in the past 3 months and five healthy individuals, five responders and five non-responders, were also included in the study. Erythroid progenitors were isolated by magnetic activated cell sorting (MACS) and miRNA expression analyzed using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). We showed that γ-globin, miR-210 and miR-486-3p had higher levels in the responders than the non-responders group. Moreover, miR-150 and miR-320 had higher levels in the healthy group than both non-responders and responders groups, but the expression of miR-96 did not show any significant difference between the study groups. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study proposing that 'induction of cellular hypoxic condition by Hb F inducing agents' could be the milestone of possible mechanisms that explain why responders are able to reactivate γ-globin genes and subsequently, more production of Hb F, in response to these agents in comparison to non-responders. However, further investigations need to be performed to verify this hypothesis.

Community first responders and responder schemes in the United Kingdom: systematic scoping review.

PubMed

Phung, Viet-Hai; Trueman, Ian; Togher, Fiona; Orner, Roderick; Siriwardena, A Niroshan

2017-06-19

Community First Responder (CFR) schemes support lay people to respond to medical emergencies, working closely with ambulance services. They operate widely in the UK. There has been no previous review of UK literature on these schemes. This is the first systematic scoping review of UK literature on CFR schemes, which identifies the reasons for becoming a CFR, requirements for training and feedback and confusion between the CFR role and that of ambulance service staff. This study also reveals gaps in the evidence base for CFR schemes. We conducted a systematic scoping review of the published literature, in the English language from 2000 onwards using specific search terms in six databases. Narrative synthesis was used to analyse article content. Nine articles remained from the initial search of 15,969 articles after removing duplicates, title and abstract and then full text review. People were motivated to become CFRs through an altruistic desire to help others. They generally felt rewarded by their work but recognised that the help they provided was limited by their training compared with ambulance staff. There were concerns about the possible emotional impact on CFRs responding to incidents. CFRs felt that better feedback would enhance their learning. Ongoing training and support were viewed as essential to enable CFRs to progress. They perceived that public recognition of the CFR role was low, patients sometimes confusing them with ambulance staff. Relationships with the ambulance service were sometimes ambivalent due to confusion over roles. There was support for local autonomy of CFR schemes but with greater sharing of best practice. Most studies dated from 2005 and were descriptive rather than analytical. In the UK and Australia CFRs are usually lay volunteers equipped with basic skills for responding to medical emergencies, whereas in the US they include other emergency staff as well as lay people. Opportunities for future research include exploring

First responder resuscitation teams in a rural Norwegian community: sustainability and self-reports of meaningfulness, stress and mastering.

PubMed

Rørtveit, Sverre; Meland, Eivind

2010-05-04

Training of lay first responder personnel situated closer to the potential victims than medical professionals is a strategy potentially capable of shortening the interval between collapse and start of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. In this study we trained lay first responders personnel in basic life support (BLS) and defibrillation for cases of cardiac arrest and suspected acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Forty-two lay first responders living in remote areas or working in industries in the island community of Austevoll, Western Norway, were trained in CPR and defibrillation. We placed particular emphasis on the first responders being able to defibrillate a primary ventricular fibrillation (PVF) in patients with AMI. The trainees were organised in four teams to attend victims of AMI and cardiac arrest while awaiting the arrival of the community emergency medical services. The purpose of the study was to find out whether the teams were able to function during the five-year study project, and to examine whether lives could be saved. The first responders completed questionnaires each year on their experiences of participation. Data on the medical actions of the teams were also collected. By the end of the project all groups were functioning. The questionnaires evidenced a reasonable degree of motivation and self-evaluated competence in both types of group organisation, but in spite of this attrition effects in the first responders were considerable. The first responders were called out on 24 occasions, for a total of 17 patients. During the study period no case of PVF occurred after the arrival of the first responders, and the number of AMIs was very low, strongly deviating from what was anticipated. No lives were saved by the project. The teams were sustained for almost five years without any significant deterioration of self-reported stress or mastering, but still showed attrition effects. Evaluated as a medical

First responder resuscitation teams in a rural Norwegian community: sustainability and self-reports of meaningfulness, stress and mastering

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Training of lay first responder personnel situated closer to the potential victims than medical professionals is a strategy potentially capable of shortening the interval between collapse and start of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. In this study we trained lay first responders personnel in basic life support (BLS) and defibrillation for cases of cardiac arrest and suspected acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Methods Forty-two lay first responders living in remote areas or working in industries in the island community of Austevoll, Western Norway, were trained in CPR and defibrillation. We placed particular emphasis on the first responders being able to defibrillate a primary ventricular fibrillation (PVF) in patients with AMI. The trainees were organised in four teams to attend victims of AMI and cardiac arrest while awaiting the arrival of the community emergency medical services. The purpose of the study was to find out whether the teams were able to function during the five-year study project, and to examine whether lives could be saved. The first responders completed questionnaires each year on their experiences of participation. Data on the medical actions of the teams were also collected. Results By the end of the project all groups were functioning. The questionnaires evidenced a reasonable degree of motivation and self-evaluated competence in both types of group organisation, but in spite of this attrition effects in the first responders were considerable. The first responders were called out on 24 occasions, for a total of 17 patients. During the study period no case of PVF occurred after the arrival of the first responders, and the number of AMIs was very low, strongly deviating from what was anticipated. No lives were saved by the project. Conclusions The teams were sustained for almost five years without any significant deterioration of self-reported stress or mastering, but still showed

Surface and subsurface geologic risk factors to ground water affecting brownfield redevelopment potential.

PubMed

Kaufman, Martin M; Murray, Kent S; Rogers, Daniel T

2003-01-01

A model is created for assessing the redevelopment potential of brownfields. The model is derived from a space and time conceptual framework that identifies and measures the surface and subsurface risk factors present at brownfield sites. The model then combines these factors with a contamination extent multiplier at each site to create an index of redevelopment potential. Results from the application of the model within an urbanized watershed demonstrate clear differences between the redevelopment potential present within five different near-surface geologic units, with those units containing clay being less vulnerable to subsurface contamination. With and without the extent multiplier, the total risk present at the brownfield sites within all the geologic units is also strongly correlated to the actual costs of remediation. Thus, computing the total surface and subsurface risk within a watershed can help guide the remediation efforts at broad geographic scales, and prioritize the locations for redevelopment.

HOW PEOPLE RESPOND TO CONTINGENT VALUATION QUESTIONS

EPA Science Inventory

The purpose of the project is to understand better how individuals interpret and respond to contingent valuation (CV) questions. The research will address three issues: the reliability of the referendum questions format, the importance of reminding respondents about subst...

Potential for use of environmental factors in urban planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teixeira da Silva, Ricardo; van der Ploeg, Martine; van Delden, Hedwig; Fleskens, Luuk

2016-04-01

Projections for population growth estimate, on top of the current 7.4 billion world population, an increase of 2 billion people for the next 40 years. It is also projected that 66 per cent of the world population in 2050 will live in urban areas. To accommodate the urban population growth cities are changing continuously land cover to urban areas. Such changes are a threat for natural resources and food production systems stability and capability to provide food and other functions. However, little has been done concerning a rational soil management for food production in urban and peri-urban areas. This study focuses on the assessment of soil lost due to urban expansion and discusses the potential loss regarding the quality of the soil for food production and environmental functions. It is relevant to increase the knowledge on the role of soils in peri-urban areas and in the interaction of physical, environmental and social factors. The methodology consists of assessing the soil quality in and around urban and peri-urban areas. It focuses particularly on the physical properties and the environmental factors, for two periods of time and account the potential losses due to urban expansion. This project is on-going, therefore current advances will be presented and will look for a discussion on the contribution of soil quality for decision-making and land management in urban and peri-urban areas.

Potential risk factors for haematological cancers in semiconductor workers.

PubMed

Lee, K; Kim, S-G; Kim, D

2015-10-01

There has recently been increased interest in cancer incidence in electronics workers. To determine the cancer incidence ratio in electronics workers and the potential factors affecting the risk for development of cancer. Epidemiological study performed in electronics workers who were employed between 1999 and 2008 in South Korea. Cancer incidence ratio was analysed with respect to departments, divisions, job titles, gender, age, hepatitis B and C virus infection and work duration. We compared the incidence of haematological cancer in this cohort with that expected in the general population. The study population was 56283. Overall, the standardized incidence ratio (SIR) for haematological cancer was 0.85. In particular, the SIR for leukaemia was 0.86 and for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) was 0.93, which were not statistically significant. The SIR for NHL was significantly increased [SIR 5.23, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.31-20.95] in female office workers. We also found that the SIR for NHL was significantly increased in female workers who tested positive for hepatitis virus infection (SIR 7.69, 95% CI 1.08-54.60). The raised SIR for NHL among female workers was due to potential risk factors such as hepatitis virus infection although additional research and an ongoing, long-term, prospective epidemiological cohort study is needed. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Responding to Mechanical Antigravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Millis, Marc G.; Thomas, Nicholas E.

2006-01-01

Based on the experiences of the NASA Breakthrough Propulsion Physics Project, suggestions are offered for constructively responding to proposals that purport breakthrough propulsion using mechanical devices. Because of the relatively large number of unsolicited submissions received (about 1 per workday) and because many of these involve similar concepts, this report is offered to help the would-be submitters make genuine progress as well as to help reviewers respond to such submissions. Devices that use oscillating masses or gyroscope falsely appear to create net thrust through differential friction or by misinterpreting torques as linear forces. To cover both the possibility of an errant claim and a genuine discovery, reviews should require that submitters meet minimal thresholds of proof before engaging in further correspondence; such as achieving sustained deflection of a level-platform pendulum in the case of mechanical thrusters.

First responder and physician liability during an emergency.

PubMed

Eddy, Amanda

2013-01-01

First responders, especially emergency medical technicians and paramedics, along with physicians, will be expected to render care during a mass casualty event. It is highly likely that these medical first responders and physicians will be rendering care in suboptimal conditions due to the mass casualty event. Furthermore, these individuals are expected to shift their focus from individually based care to community- or population-based care when assisting disaster response. As a result, patients may feel they have not received adequate care and may seek to hold the medical first responder or physician liable, even if they did everything they could given the emergency circumstances. Therefore, it is important to protect medical first responders and physicians rendering care during a mass casualty event so that their efforts are not unnecessarily impeded by concerns about civil liability. In this article, the author looks at the standard of care for medical first responders and physicians and describes the current framework of laws limiting liability for these persons during an emergency. The author concludes that the standard of care and current laws fail to offer adequate liability protection for medical first responders and physicians, especially those in the private sector, and recommends that states adopt clear laws offering liability protection for all medical first responders and physicians who render assistance during a mass casualty event.

Potential determinants of efficacy of mirror therapy in stroke patients – A pilot study

PubMed Central

Brunetti, Maddalena; Morkisch, Nadine; Fritzsch, Claire; Mehnert, Jan; Steinbrink, Jens; Niedeggen, Michael; Dohle, Christian

2015-01-01

Abstract Background: Mirror therapy (MT) was found to improve motor function after stroke. However, there is high variability between patients regarding motor recovery. Objectives: The following pilot study was designed to identify potential factors determining this variability between patients with severe upper limb paresis, receiving MT. Methods: Eleven sub-acute stroke patients with severe upper limb paresis participated, receiving in-patient rehabilitation. After a set of pre-assessments (including measurement of brain activity at the primary motor cortex and precuneus during the mirror illusion, using near-infrared spectroscopy as described previously), four weeks of MT were applied, followed by a set of post-assessments. Discriminant group analysis for MT responders and non-responders was performed. Results: Six out of eleven patients were defined as responders and five as non-responders on the basis of their functional motor improvement. The initial motor function and the activity shift in both precunei (mirror index) were found to discriminate significantly between responders and non-responders. Conclusions: In line with earlier results, initial motor function was confirmed as crucial determinant of motor recovery. Additionally, activity response to the mirror illusion in both precunei was found to be a candidate for determination of the efficacy of MT. PMID:26409402

Simulation of LV pacemaker lead in marginal vein: potential risk factors for acute dislodgement.

PubMed

Zhao, Xuefeng; Burger, Mike; Liu, Yi; Das, Mithilesh K; Combs, William; Wenk, Jonathan F; Guccione, Julius M; Kassab, Ghassan S

2011-03-01

Although left ventricular (LV) coronary sinus lead dislodgement remains a problem, the risk factors for dislodgement have not been clearly defined. In order to identify potential risk factors for acute lead dislodgement, we conducted dynamic finite element simulations of pacemaker lead dislodgement in marginal LV vein. We considered factors such as mismatch in lead and vein diameters, velocity of myocardial motion, branch angle between the insertion vein and the coronary sinus, degree of slack, and depth of insertion. The results show that large lead-to-vein diameter mismatch, rapid myocardial motion, and superficial insertion are potential risk factors for lead dislodgement. In addition, the degree of slack presents either a positive or negative effect on dislodgement risk depending on the branch angle. The prevention of acute lead dislodgment can be enforced by inducing as much static friction force as possible at the lead-vein interface, while reducing the external force. If the latter exceeds the former, dislodgement will occur. The present findings underscore the major risk factors for lead dislodgment, which may improve implantation criterion and future lead design.

Ionization-potential depression and dynamical structure factor in dense plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Chengliang; Röpke, Gerd; Kraeft, Wolf-Dietrich; Reinholz, Heidi

2017-07-01

The properties of a bound electron system immersed in a plasma environment are strongly modified by the surrounding plasma. The modification of an essential quantity, the ionization energy, is described by the electronic and ionic self-energies, including dynamical screening within the framework of the quantum statistical theory. Introducing the ionic dynamical structure factor as the indicator for the ionic microfield, we demonstrate that ionic correlations and fluctuations play a critical role in determining the ionization potential depression. This is, in particular, true for mixtures of different ions with large mass and charge asymmetry. The ionization potential depression is calculated for dense aluminum plasmas as well as for a CH plasma and compared to the experimental data and more phenomenological approaches used so far.

DECONTAMINATION WIPES FOR FIRST RESPONDERS - PHASE I

EPA Science Inventory

The threat of chemical or biological (CB) attack is real, and there is a recognized need for improved technologies to better respond to these situations. During a CB emergency, first responder units are critical for handling the emergency, and then restoring the environment wh...

IG Statement: EPA Inspector General Responds to Sen. Inhofe's Letter about Review of Hydraulic Fracturing

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

EPA IG Arthur Elkins Jr. responded to Sen. James Inhofe’s Oct 2, 2014, letter asserting that the EPA OIG should not proceed with a program evaluation of the EPA’s and states’ ability to manage potential threats to water resources from hydraulic fracturing.

Identifying factors for optimal development of health-related websites: a delphi study among experts and potential future users.

PubMed

Schneider, Francine; van Osch, Liesbeth; de Vries, Hein

2012-02-14

The Internet has become a popular medium for offering tailored and targeted health promotion programs to the general public. However, suboptimal levels of program use in the target population limit the public health impact of these programs. Optimizing program development is considered as one of the main processes to increase usage rates. To distinguish factors potentially related to optimal development of health-related websites by involving both experts and potential users. By considering and incorporating the opinions of experts and potential users in the development process, involvement in the program is expected to increase, consequently resulting in increased appreciation, lower levels of attrition, and higher levels of sustained use. We conducted a systematic three-round Delphi study through the Internet. Both national and international experts (from the fields of health promotion, health psychology, e-communication, and technical Web design) and potential users were invited via email to participate. During this study an extensive list of factors potentially related to optimal development of health-related websites was identified, by focusing on factors related to layout, general and risk information provision, questionnaire use, additional services, and ease of use. Furthermore, we assessed the extent to which experts and potential users agreed on the importance of these factors. Differences as well as similarities among experts and potentials users were deduced. In total, 20 of 62 contacted experts participated in the first round (32% response rate); 60 of 200 contacted experts (30% response rate) and 210 potential users (95% response rate) completed the second-round questionnaire, and 32 of 60 contacted experts completed the third round (53% response rate). Results revealed important factors consented upon by experts and potential users (eg, ease of use, clear structure, and detailed health information provision), as well as differences regarding

Beauty from the beast: Avoiding errors in responding to client questions.

PubMed

Waehler, Charles A; Grandy, Natalie M

2016-09-01

Those rare moments when clients ask direct questions of their therapists likely represent a point when they are particularly open to new considerations, thereby representing an opportunity for substantial therapeutic gains. However, clinical errors abound in this area because clients' questions often engender apprehension in therapists, causing therapists to respond with too little or too much information or shutting down the discussion prematurely. These response types can damage the therapeutic relationship, the psychotherapy process, or both. We explore the nature of these clinical errors in response to client questions by providing examples from our own clinical work, suggesting potential reasons why clinicians may not make optimal use of client questions, and discussing how the mixed psychological literature further complicates the issue. We also present four guidelines designed to help therapists, trainers, and supervisors respond constructively to clinical questions in order to create constructive interactions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Relaxation and approximate factorization methods for the unsteady full potential equation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shankar, V.; Ide, H.; Gorski, J.

1984-01-01

The unsteady form of the full potential equation is solved in conservation form, using implicit methods based on approximate factorization and relaxation schemes. A local time linearization for density is introduced to enable solution to the equation in terms of phi, the velocity potential. A novel flux-biasing technique is applied to generate proper forms of the artificial viscosity, to treat hyperbolic regions with shocks and sonic lines present. The wake is properly modeled by accounting not only for jumps in phi, but also for jumps in higher derivatives of phi obtained from requirements of density continuity. The far field is modeled using the Riemann invariants to simulate nonreflecting boundary conditions. Results are presented for flows over airfoils, cylinders, and spheres. Comparisons are made with available Euler and full potential results.

Antisymmetrization effects and the form factor of the real part of the. cap alpha. -nucleus potential

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Majka, Z.; Budzanowski, A.; Grotowski, K.

1978-07-01

Antisymmetrization effects in the ..cap alpha..-nucleus interaction are investigated on the basis of a microscopic model in an one nucleon exchange approximation. It influences the form factor, increasing the halfway radius and decreasing the diffuseness as compared with the direct term of the potential only. Antisymmetrization preserves the shape of the potential which can be parametrized by a Woods-Saxon squared form. The phenomenological potential with the energy independent form factor of the above shape fits experimental data in a wide energy region.

Baclofen blocks yohimbine-induced increases in ethanol-reinforced responding in rats.

PubMed

Williams, Keith L; Nickel, Melissa M; Bielak, Justin T

2016-05-01

Chronic or repeated stress increases alcohol consumption. The GABA-B agonist baclofen decreases alcohol consumption and may be most effective for individuals with comorbid anxiety/stress disorders. The present study sought to determine if baclofen blocks stress-induced increases in ethanol self-administration as modeled by repeated yohimbine injections in rats. Rats were trained to respond for 15% w/v ethanol in operant chambers using a method that applies neither water deprivation nor saccharin/sucrose fading. Following training, the rats received 6 injections of 1.25mg/kg yohimbine were given immediately prior to the operant sessions during a 2-week time period. Subsequently, some rats were pair-matched to receive either 1.25mg/kg yohimbine or saline in the presence of 0.3, 1, and 3mg/kg baclofen prior to sessions. Acquisition of ethanol self-administration was poor. Pretreatment with yohimbine consistently increased responding across repeated injections. Yohimbine's effect on ethanol intake unexpectedly diverged from the effect on responding as the rats failed to consume all reinforcers earned. Smaller doses of baclofen paired with saline injections had no effect on ethanol responding; only 3mg/kg baclofen reduced ethanol self-administration. The smallest baclofen dose of 0.3mg/kg failed to block the yohimbine-induced increase in self-administration. The large baclofen dose of 3mg/kg continued to suppress ethanol self-administration when given with yohimbine. Baclofen 1mg/kg blocked the effect of yohimbine even though it had no effect when given in the absence of yohimbine. Exposure to high ethanol concentrations may induce self-administration only in certain conditions. The dissociation between responding and intake suggests that repeated yohimbine injections may initiate other behavioral or physiological mechanisms that confound its effects as a pharmacological stressor. Furthermore, an optimal baclofen dose range may specifically protect against stress

Working conditions, psychosocial environmental factors, and depressive symptoms among wage workers in South Korea

PubMed Central

Sohn, Minsung; Choi, Mankyu

2016-01-01

Background In South Korea, the number of workers suffering from mental illnesses, such as depression, has rapidly increased. There is growing concern about depressive symptoms being associated with both working conditions and psychosocial environmental factors. Objectives To investigate potential psychosocial environmental moderators in the relationship between working conditions and occupational depressive symptoms among wage workers. Methods Data were obtained from the wage worker respondents (n = 4,095) of the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of 2009. First, chi-square tests confirmed the differences in working conditions and psychosocial characteristics between depressive and non-depressive groups. Second, multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the moderating effects of the psychosocial environmental factors between working conditions and depressive symptoms. Results After adjusting for potential covariates, the likelihood of depressive symptomatology was high among respondents who had dangerous jobs and flexible work hours compared to those who had standard jobs and fixed daytime work hours (OR = 1.66 and 1.59, respectively). Regarding psychosocial factors, respondents with high job demands, low job control, and low social support were more likely to have depressive symptoms (OR = 1.26, 1.58 and 1.61, respectively). Conclusions There is a need to develop non-occupational intervention programs, which provide workers with training about workplace depression and improve social support, and the programs should provide time for employees to have active communication. Additionally, companies should provide employees with support to access mental healthcare thereby decreasing the occurrence of workplace depression. PMID:27373792

Awareness of head and neck cancer - a multicentre survey among young respondents in Poland.

PubMed

Krentowska, Anna; Sierko-Nobis, Elzbieta; Strzalka, Alicja; Pietruszewska, Wioletta; Hempel, Dominika; Sierko, Ewa

2018-05-28

Head and neck cancer (HNC) is frequently diagnosed at an advanced stage of the disease, which results in suboptimal treatment outcomes, and leads to aesthetic and functional side-effects. Many risky behaviours associated with this type of cancer start at a young age. The aim of the study was to evaluate the level of HNC awareness in the young population in Poland. An anonymous online survey on HNC was conducted among 1903 people between the ages of 18 and 35 years. Closed-ended questions concerned HNC risk factors, symptoms and prognosis. 85.1% of respondents were familiar with HNC. The main source of information was the Internet (57.3%); 78.2% of participants associated HNC occurrence with smoking, 43.4% with alcohol consumption and 37.2% with the human papillomavirus infection. The main risk factors mentioned by students of non-medical educational institutions included smoking, stress and excessive sunbathing. A quarter of respondents (37.7%, if medical students are excluded) were unaware of any early symptoms of HNC. The symptoms mentioned most frequently included chronic hoarseness (55.3%), a lump in the neck (51.8%) and chronic sore throat (51.4%). Over three-quarters of medical students and half of the remaining respondents connected early diagnosis with a better chance of being cured; 4.6% of medical students and 9.6% of students of other educational institutions would seek medical advice only when symptoms made everyday functioning impossible. The level of HNC cancer awareness in the young population is alarmingly low. A large number of non-medical students are unaware of risk factors and early symptoms. Educational campaigns aimed at effective prophylaxis, earlier diagnosis and treatment of HNC are needed. © 2018 FDI World Dental Federation.

The potential contribution of dietary factors to breast cancer prevention.

PubMed

Shapira, Niva

2017-09-01

Breast cancer (BC), the leading cancer in women, is increasing in prevalence worldwide, concurrent with western metabolic epidemics, that is, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes, and shares major risk factors with these diseases. The corresponding potential for nutritional contributions toward BC prevention is reviewed and related to critical stages in the life cycle and their implications for carcinogenic and pathometabolic trajectories. BC initiation potentially involves diet-related pro-oxidative, inflammatory, and procarcinogenic processes, that interact through combined lipid/fatty acid peroxidation, estrogen metabolism, and related DNA-adduct/depurination/mutation formation. The pathometabolic trajectory is affected by high estrogen, insulin, and growth factor cascades and resultant accelerated proliferation/progression. Anthropometric risk factors - high birth weight, adult tallness, adiposity/BMI, and weight gain - are often reflective of these trends. A sex-based nutritional approach targets women's specific risk in western obesogenic environments, associated with increasing fatness, estrogen metabolism, n-6 : n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid ratio, and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid conversion to proinflammatory/carcinogenic eicosanoids, and effects of timing of life events, for example, ages at menarche, full-term pregnancy, and menopause. Recent large-scale studies have confirmed the effectiveness of the evidence-based recommendations against BC risk, emphasizing low-energy density diets, highly nutritious plant-based regimes, physical activity, and body/abdominal adiposity management. Better understanding of dietary inter-relationships with BC, as applied to food intake, selection, combination, and processing/preparation, and recommended patterns, for example, Mediterranean, DASH, plant-based, low energy density, and low glycemic load, with high nutrient/phytonutrient density, would increase public motivation and authoritative support for early

Effects of Intranasal Oxytocin on Aggressive Responding in Antisocial Personality Disorder.

PubMed

Alcorn, Joseph L; Rathnayaka, Nuvan; Swann, Alan C; Moeller, F Gerard; Lane, Scott D

2015-12-01

The oxytocin receptor is important in several domains of social behavior, and administration of oxytocin modulates social responding in several mammalian species, including humans. Oxytocin has both therapeutic and scientific potential for elucidating the neural and behavioral mechanisms governing social behavior. In the present study, operationally-defined aggressive behavior of six males with Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) was measured following acute intranasal oxytocin dosing (12, 24, and 48 international units) and placebo, using a well-validated laboratory task of human aggression (Point-Subtraction Aggression Paradigm, or PSAP). The PSAP provides participants with concurrently available monetary-earning and operationally-defined aggressive response options, maintained by fixed ratio schedules of consequences. Shifts in response rates and inter-response time (IRT) distributions were observed on the aggressive response option following oxytocin doses, relative to placebo. Few changes were observed in monetary-reinforced responding. However, across participants the direction and magnitude of changes in aggressive responding were not systematically related to dose. No trends were observed between psychometric or physiological data and oxytocin dosing or aggressive behavior. While this report is to our knowledge the first to examine the acute effects of oxytocin in this population at high risk for violence and other forms of antisocial behavior, several limitations in the experimental design and the results cast the study as a preliminary report. Strategies for more extensive future projects are discussed.

An Official ATS/AACN/ACCP/ESICM/SCCM Policy Statement: Responding to Requests for Potentially Inappropriate Treatments in Intensive Care Units.

PubMed

Bosslet, Gabriel T; Pope, Thaddeus M; Rubenfeld, Gordon D; Lo, Bernard; Truog, Robert D; Rushton, Cynda H; Curtis, J Randall; Ford, Dee W; Osborne, Molly; Misak, Cheryl; Au, David H; Azoulay, Elie; Brody, Baruch; Fahy, Brenda G; Hall, Jesse B; Kesecioglu, Jozef; Kon, Alexander A; Lindell, Kathleen O; White, Douglas B

2015-06-01

situations in which surrogates request interventions that simply cannot accomplish their intended physiologic goal. Clinicians should not provide futile interventions. (4) The medical profession should lead public engagement efforts and advocate for policies and legislation about when life-prolonging technologies should not be used. The multisociety statement on responding to requests for potentially inappropriate treatments in intensive care units provides guidance for clinicians to prevent and manage disputes in patients with advanced critical illness.

Identification of pathogenic factors potentially involved in Staphylococcus aureus keratitis using proteomics.

PubMed

Khan, Shamila; Cole, Nerida; Hume, Emma B H; Garthwaite, Linda L; Nguyen-Khuong, Terry; Walsh, Bradley J; Willcox, Mark D P

2016-10-01

Staphylococcus is a leading cause of microbial keratitis, characterized by destruction of the cornea by bacterial exoproteins and host-associated factors. The aim of this study was to compare extracellular and cell-associated proteins produced by two different isolates of S. aureus, a virulent clinical isolate (Staph 38) and a laboratory strain (Staphylococcus aureus 8325-4) of weaker virulence in the mouse keratitis model. Proteins were analyzed using 2D polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and identified by subsequent mass spectrometry. Activity of staphylococcal adhesins was assessed by allowing strains to bind to various proteins adsorbed onto polymethylmethacrylate squares. Thirteen proteins in the extracellular fraction and eight proteins in the cell-associated fractions after bacterial growth were produced in increased amounts in the clinical isolate Staph 38. Four of these proteins were S. aureus virulence factor adhesins, fibronectin binding protein A, staphopain, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase 2 and extracellular adherence protein. The clinical isolate Staph 38 adhered to a greater extent to all mammalian proteins tested, indicating the potential of the adhesins to be active on its surface. Other proteins with increased expression in Staph 38 included potential moonlighting proteins and proteins involved in transcription or translation. This is the first demonstration of the proteome of S. aureus isolates from keratitis. These results indicate that the virulent clinical isolate produces more potentially important virulence factors compared to the less virulent laboratory strain and these may be associated with the ability of a S. aureus strain to cause more severe keratitis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Men's and Women's Childhood Sexual Abuse and Victimization in Adult Partner Relationships: A Study of Risk Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daigneault, Isabelle; Hebert, Martine; McDuff, Pierre

2009-01-01

Objectives: (1) Document the prevalence of childhood sexual abuse (CSA), childhood physical assault, psychological, physical and sexual intimate partner violence (IPV) in a nationally representative sample. (2) Assess the predictive value of CSA and other characteristics of the respondents and their current partners as potential risk factors for…

Myopathy induced by statin-ezetimibe combination: Evaluation of potential risk factors.

PubMed

Brahmachari, Ballari; Chatterjee, Suparna

2015-01-01

Although both atorvastatin and ezetimibe may cause myopathy, statin-induced myopathy is less likely at low doses, and ezetimibe is only rarely reported to induce myopathy. Also, ezetimibe is not usually known to potentiate statin-induced myopathy. We report a case of myalgia with elevated serum creatinine phosphokinase in a patient after 2 months of therapy with fixed dose combination of atorvastatin and ezetimibe (10 mg each). At the time of the event, patient was undertaking moderate physical exertion in the form of brisk walking for 30-40 min a day and was detected to have low serum Vitamin D levels. The adverse event resolved after stopping atorvastatin-ezetimibe combination therapy. Potential risk factors, such as physical exertion and Vitamin D deficiency, co-existent in dyslipidemic patients, may exacerbate myopathy potential of these drugs, and precipitate muscular symptoms even at a low-dose.

Managing volunteers: FEMA's Urban Search and Rescue programme and interactions with unaffiliated responders in disaster response.

PubMed

Barsky, Lauren E; Trainor, Joseph E; Torres, Manuel R; Aguirre, Benigno E

2007-12-01

In the aftermath of disasters it is not uncommon for a large number of individuals, ranging from professional technical responders to untrained, albeit well meaning, volunteers, to converge on site of a disaster in order to offer to help victims or other responders. Because volunteers can be both a help and a hindrance in disaster response, they pose a paradox to professional responders at the scene. Through focus group interviews and in-depth structured interviews, this paper presents an extended example of how Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) task forces, a type of professional technical-responder organisation, interact with and utilise volunteers. Findings show that US&R task forces evaluate the volunteers in terms of their presumed legitimacy, utility, and potential liability or danger posed during the disaster response. Other responses to volunteers such as a feeling of powerlessness or the use of volunteers in non-technical ways are also explored. This paper demonstrates some key aspects of the relationship between volunteers and formal response organisations in disasters.

Effects of an ethanol-paired CS on responding for ethanol and food: Comparisons with a stimulus in a Truly-Random-Control group and to a food-paired CS on responding for food.

PubMed

Lamb, R J; Ginsburg, Brett C; Schindler, Charles W

2016-12-01

Motivational increases due to exposure to alcohol-paired Conditioned Stimuli (CS) are central to some accounts of alcoholism. However, few studies isolate a stimulus's function as a CS from its other potential functions. Pavlovian-Instrumental-Transfer (PIT) procedures isolate a stimulus's function as a CS from its other functions. Though there are several relevant studies using PIT, knowledge gaps exist. Particularly, it is not clear that an alcohol-paired CS will increase alcohol seeking compared to the same stimulus in a Truly-Random-Control group, nor whether such increases are specific to alcohol seeking. To address these knowledge gaps in Experiment 1, rats responded for ethanol (0.1 ml 8% w/v) under an RI 30-sec schedule, then the lever was removed and half the rats had ethanol delivered during occasional 120-sec light presentations, while the remainder had ethanol and the light presented under independent RT schedules. Later the lever was returned and the light was presented during responding in extinction (PIT test). Following this test, levers were again removed and the light was presented without ethanol (light extinction), following again by a PIT test. Responding in the two groups during light presentations did not differ in either PIT test. Experiment 2 repeated Experiment 1 using food instead of ethanol. In Experiment 2, responding during light presentations increased in the paired group. In Experiment 3, rats were trained on a concurrent FR schedule of food and ethanol delivery. Ethanol was delivered following 5 responses and the response requirement for food adjusted so that similar numbers of food and ethanol deliveries were obtained. Subsequently, rats underwent conditioning, control and testing procedures identical to those in Experiment 1. In Experiment 3, the ethanol-paired CS increased ethanol-responding, but not food-responding. These results are most easily interpreted as changes in responding resulting from CS-elicited behavior rather

Acute Chemical Incidents With Injured First Responders, 2002-2012.

PubMed

Melnikova, Natalia; Wu, Jennifer; Yang, Alice; Orr, Maureen

2018-04-01

IntroductionFirst responders, including firefighters, police officers, emergency medical services, and company emergency response team members, have dangerous jobs that can bring them in contact with hazardous chemicals among other dangers. Limited information is available on responder injuries that occur during hazardous chemical incidents. We analyzed 2002-2012 data on acute chemical incidents with injured responders from 2 Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry chemical incident surveillance programs. To learn more about such injuries, we performed descriptive analysis and looked for trends. The percentage of responders among all injured people in chemical incidents has not changed over the years. Firefighters were the most frequently injured group of responders, followed by police officers. Respiratory system problems were the most often reported injury, and the respiratory irritants, ammonia, methamphetamine-related chemicals, and carbon monoxide were the chemicals more often associated with injuries. Most of the incidents with responder injuries were caused by human error or equipment failure. Firefighters wore personal protective equipment (PPE) most frequently and police officers did so rarely. Police officers' injuries were mostly associated with exposure to ammonia and methamphetamine-related chemicals. Most responders did not receive basic awareness-level hazardous material training. All responders should have at least basic awareness-level hazardous material training to recognize and avoid exposure. Research on improving firefighter PPE should continue. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;12:211-221).

Survey on the knowledge of age-related macular degeneration and its risk factors among Singapore residents.

PubMed

Sanjay, Srinivasan; Neo, Hui Yee; Sangtam, Tiakumzuk; Ku, Jae Yee; Chau, Shirley Y M; Rostihar, Abdul Karim; Au Eong, Kah-Guan

2009-11-01

To assess the awareness of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and its risk factors among Singapore residents. A cross-sectional questionnaire-based telephone survey was conducted to ascertain the awareness of AMD with regards to knowledge of the disease entity and possible risk factors among Singapore residents. A Singapore residential telephone directory was used to identify potential households by choosing the first and last entries on randomly selected pages. Respondents included individuals from households with landline telephone connection who were willing to participate in the study after a brief introduction about the study. Verbal consent was sought before proceeding with the interview. Interpreters were used for respondents whose ability to converse in English was limited. Prior to commencement of the study, the protocol was reviewed and approved by Ethics committee of the Domain Specific Review Board. The interviewers contacted 796 subjects from different households, of which 520 participated (response rate, 65.3%). The age of the respondents ranged from 18 to 85 (median 41) years. Only 38 (7.3%) of them were aware of AMD, the majority of whom had completed secondary or higher education. Two hundred (38.5%) and 191 (36.7%) of the respondents considered age and smoking, respectively, to be risk factors for AMD. The awareness of AMD among Singapore residents is low. AMD awareness needs to be improved by educational programmes designed for this specific purpose.

Dorsal hippocampus inactivation impairs spontaneous recovery of Pavlovian magazine approach responding in rats

PubMed Central

Campese, Vincent D.; Delamater, Andrew R.

2014-01-01

Destruction or inactivation of the dorsal hippocampus (DH) has been shown to eliminate the renewal of extinguished fear [1–4]. However, it has recently been reported that the contextual control of responding to extinguished appetitive stimuli is not disrupted when the DH is destroyed or inactivated prior to tests for renewal of Pavlovian conditioned magazine approach [5]. In the present study we extend the analysis of DH control of appetitive extinction learning to the spontaneous recovery of Pavlovian conditioned magazine approach responding. Subjects were trained to associate two separate stimuli with the delivery of food and had muscimol or vehicle infused into the DH prior to a single test-session for spontaneous recovery occurring immediately following extinction of one of these stimuli, but one week following extinction of the other. While vehicle treated subjects showed more recovery to the distally extinguished stimulus than the proximal one, muscimol treated subjects failed to show spontaneous recovery to either stimulus. This result suggests that, while the DH is not involved in the control of extinction by physical contexts [5], it may be involved when time is the gating factor controlling recovery of extinguished responding. PMID:24742862

An integrated command control and communications center for first responders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Messner, Richard A.; Hludik, Frank; Vidacic, Dragan; Melnyk, Pavlo

2005-05-01

First responders to a major incident include many different agencies. These may include law enforcement officers, multiple fire departments, paramedics, HAZMAT response teams, and possibly even federal personnel such as FBI and FEMA. Often times multiple jurisdictions respond to the incident which causes interoperability issues with respect to communication and dissemination of time critical information. Accurate information from all responding sources needs to be rapidly collected and made available to the current on site responders as well as the follow-on responders who may just be arriving on scene. The creation of a common central database with a simple easy to use interface that is dynamically updated in real time would allow prompt and efficient information distribution between different jurisdictions. Such a system is paramount to the success of any response to a major incident. First responders typically arrive in mobile vehicles that are equipped with communications equipment. Although the first responders may make reports back to their specific home based command centers, the details of those reports are not typically available to other first responders who are not a part of that agencies infrastructure. Furthermore, the collection of information often occurs outside of the first responder vehicle and the details of the scene are normally either radioed from the field or written down and then disseminated after significant delay. Since first responders are not usually on the same communications channels, and the fact that there is normally a considerable amount of confusion during the first few hours on scene, it would be beneficial if there were a centralized location for the repository of time critical information which could be accessed by all the first responders in a common fashion without having to redesign or add significantly to each first responders hardware/software systems. Each first responder would then be able to provide information

Contributory factors and potentially avoidable neonatal encephalopathy associated with perinatal asphyxia.

PubMed

Sadler, Lynn C; Farquhar, Cynthia M; Masson, Vicki L; Battin, Malcolm R

2016-06-01

The recently published monograph, Neonatal encephalopathy and neurologic outcome, from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists calls for a root cause analysis to identify components of care that contributed to cases of neonatal encephalopathy to design better practices, surveillance mechanisms, and systems. All cases of infants born in New Zealand with moderate and severe neonatal encephalopathy were reported to the New Zealand Perinatal and Maternal Mortality Review Committee from 2010. A national clinical review of these individual cases has not previously been undertaken. The objective of the study was to undertake a multidisciplinary structured review of all cases of neonatal encephalopathy that arose following the onset of labor in the absence of acute peripartum events in 2010-2011 to determine the frequency of contributory factors, the proportion of potentially avoidable morbidity and mortality and to identify themes for quality improvement. National identification of, and collection of clinical records on, cases of moderate or severe neonatal encephalopathy occurring after the onset of labor in the absence of an acute peripartum event, excluding those with normal gases and Apgar scores at 1 minute, among all cases of moderate and severe neonatal encephalopathy at term in New Zealand in 2010-2011 was undertaken. Cases were included if they had abnormal gases as defined by any of pH of ≤ 7.2, base excess of ≤ -10, or lactate of ≥ 6 or if there were no cord gases, an Apgar score at 1 minute of ≤ 7. A clinical case review was undertaken by a multidisciplinary team using a structured tool to record contributory factors (organization and/or management, personnel, and barriers to access and/or engagement with care), potentially avoidable morbidity and mortality and to identify themes to guide quality improvement. Eighty-three babies fulfilled the inclusion criteria for the review, 56 moderate (67%) and 27 severe (33%), 21 (25%) of whom were

Preparing Teachers to Respond to Student Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferris, Dana

2007-01-01

Responding to student writing is one of the most challenging aspects of the writing instructor's job, and it is certainly the most time-consuming. Preparing future teachers to respond to L2 writing thus becomes an important aspect of any pre-service training course. In this paper, the author describes her own approach to training writing…

33 CFR 20.310 - Default by respondent.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Pleadings and Motions § 20.310 Default by respondent. (a) The ALJ may find a respondent in default upon failure to file a timely answer to the complaint or, after motion, upon failure to appear at a conference or hearing without good cause shown. (b) Each motion for default must conform to the rules of form...

33 CFR 20.310 - Default by respondent.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Pleadings and Motions § 20.310 Default by respondent. (a) The ALJ may find a respondent in default upon failure to file a timely answer to the complaint or, after motion, upon failure to appear at a conference or hearing without good cause shown. (b) Each motion for default must conform to the rules of form...

Responding to a Literary Work of Art.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Washburn, William V.

A study was conducted to examine three fundamental aspects of the process of responding to a literary work of art: the nature of the reader's response to literature, the processes of response to literature, and the relationship of a reader's personal construct system to the way in which the reader responds to a literary work of art. The subjects…

A Simple Evacuation Modeling and Simulation Tool for First Responders

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Koch, Daniel B; Payne, Patricia W

2015-01-01

Although modeling and simulation of mass evacuations during a natural or man-made disaster is an on-going and vigorous area of study, tool adoption by front-line first responders is uneven. Some of the factors that account for this situation include cost and complexity of the software. For several years, Oak Ridge National Laboratory has been actively developing the free Incident Management Preparedness and Coordination Toolkit (IMPACT) to address these issues. One of the components of IMPACT is a multi-agent simulation module for area-based and path-based evacuations. The user interface is designed so that anyone familiar with typical computer drawing tools canmore » quickly author a geospatially-correct evacuation visualization suitable for table-top exercises. Since IMPACT is designed for use in the field where network communications may not be available, quick on-site evacuation alternatives can be evaluated to keep pace with a fluid threat situation. Realism is enhanced by incorporating collision avoidance into the simulation. Statistics are gathered as the simulation unfolds, including most importantly time-to-evacuate, to help first responders choose the best course of action.« less

Sixteen Textbook Authors Respond.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hewitt, John P.; And Others

1988-01-01

The articles on textbook publication written by Sheryl Fullerton and Franklin C. Graham were responded to by: John Hewitt, Henry Tischler, George Ritzer, Paul Baker, Erich Goode, D. Stanley Eitzen, Jon Shepard, Richard Schaefer, Caroline Persell, Beth Hess, Paul Zopf, Jr., Jeanne Ballantine, Duane Monette, Mary Ann Lamanna, John Macionis, and…

Prevalence and Potential Risk Factors for Bartonella Infection in Tunisian Stray Dogs.

PubMed

Belkhiria, Jaber; Chomel, Bruno B; Ben Hamida, Taoufik; Kasten, Rickie W; Stuckey, Matthew J; Fleischman, Drew A; Christopher, Mary M; Boulouis, Henri-Jean; Farver, Thomas B

2017-06-01

Bartonellae are blood-borne and vector-transmitted pathogens, some are zoonotic, which have been reported in several Mediterranean countries. Transmission from dogs to humans is suspected, but has not been clearly demonstrated. Our objectives were to determine the seroprevalence of Bartonella henselae, Bartonella vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii, Bartonella clarridgeiae, and Bartonella bovis (as a proxy for Candidatus Bartonella merieuxii) in stray dogs from Tunisia, identify the Bartonella species infecting the dogs and evaluate potential risk factors for canine infection. Blood samples were collected between January and November 2013 from 149 dogs in 10 Tunisian governorates covering several climatic zones. Dog-specific and geographic variables were analyzed as potential risk factors for Bartonella spp. seropositivity and PCR-positivity. DNA was extracted from the blood of all dogs and tested by PCR for Bartonella, targeting the ftsZ and rpoB genes. Partial sequencing was performed on PCR-positive dogs. Twenty-nine dogs (19.5%, 95% confidence interval: 14-27.4) were seropositive for one or more Bartonella species, including 17 (11.4%) for B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii, 14 (9.4%) for B. henselae, 13 (8.4%) for B. clarridgeiae, and 7 (4.7%) for B. bovis. Statistical analysis revealed a few potential risk factors, mainly dog's age and breed, latitude and average winter temperature. Twenty-two (14.8%) dogs, including 8 of the 29 seropositive dogs, were PCR-positive for Bartonella based on the ftsZ gene, with 18 (81.8%) of these 22 dogs also positive for the rpoB gene. Partial sequencing showed that all PCR-positive dogs were infected with Candidatus B. merieuxii. Dogs from arid regions and regions with cold average winter temperatures were less likely to be PCR-positive than dogs from other climatic zones. The widespread presence of Bartonella spp. infection in Tunisian dogs suggests a role for stray dogs as potential reservoirs of Bartonella species in Tunisia.

Anorexia of Aging: Risk Factors, Consequences, and Potential Treatments.

PubMed

Landi, Francesco; Calvani, Riccardo; Tosato, Matteo; Martone, Anna Maria; Ortolani, Elena; Savera, Giulia; Sisto, Alex; Marzetti, Emanuele

2016-01-27

Older people frequently fail to ingest adequate amount of food to meet their essential energy and nutrient requirements. Anorexia of aging, defined by decrease in appetite and/or food intake in old age, is a major contributing factor to under-nutrition and adverse health outcomes in the geriatric population. This disorder is indeed highly prevalent and is recognized as an independent predictor of morbidity and mortality in different clinical settings. Even though anorexia is not an unavoidable consequence of aging, advancing age often promotes its development through various mechanisms. Age-related changes in life-style, disease conditions, as well as social and environmental factors have the potential to directly affect dietary behaviors and nutritional status. In spite of their importance, problems related to food intake and, more generally, nutritional status are seldom attended to in clinical practice. While this may be the result of an "ageist" approach, it should be acknowledged that simple interventions, such as oral nutritional supplementation or modified diets, could meaningfully improve the health status and quality of life of older persons.

Anorexia of Aging: Risk Factors, Consequences, and Potential Treatments

PubMed Central

Landi, Francesco; Calvani, Riccardo; Tosato, Matteo; Martone, Anna Maria; Ortolani, Elena; Savera, Giulia; Sisto, Alex; Marzetti, Emanuele

2016-01-01

Older people frequently fail to ingest adequate amount of food to meet their essential energy and nutrient requirements. Anorexia of aging, defined by decrease in appetite and/or food intake in old age, is a major contributing factor to under-nutrition and adverse health outcomes in the geriatric population. This disorder is indeed highly prevalent and is recognized as an independent predictor of morbidity and mortality in different clinical settings. Even though anorexia is not an unavoidable consequence of aging, advancing age often promotes its development through various mechanisms. Age-related changes in life-style, disease conditions, as well as social and environmental factors have the potential to directly affect dietary behaviors and nutritional status. In spite of their importance, problems related to food intake and, more generally, nutritional status are seldom attended to in clinical practice. While this may be the result of an “ageist” approach, it should be acknowledged that simple interventions, such as oral nutritional supplementation or modified diets, could meaningfully improve the health status and quality of life of older persons. PMID:26828516

Daily morphine administration increases impulsivity in rats responding under a 5‐choice serial reaction time task

PubMed Central

Maguire, DR; Henson, C

2016-01-01

Background and Purpose Repeated administration of a μ opioid receptor agonist can enhance some forms of impulsivity, such as delay discounting. However, it is unclear whether repeated administration alters motor impulsivity. Experimental Approach We examined the effects of acute administration of morphine and amphetamine prior to and during daily morphine administration in rats responding under a five‐choice serial reaction time task. Rats (n = 5) were trained to detect a brief flash of light presented randomly in one of five response holes; responding in the target hole delivered food, whereas responding in the wrong hole or responding prior to illumination of the target stimulus (premature response) initiated a timeout. Premature responding served as an index of motor impulsivity. Key Results Administered acutely, morphine (0.1–10 mg·kg−1, i.p.) increased omissions and modestly, although not significantly, premature responding without affecting response accuracy; amphetamine (0.1–1.78 mg·kg−1, i.p.) increased premature responding without changing omissions or response accuracy. After 3 weeks of 10 mg·kg−1·day−1 morphine, tolerance developed to its effects on omissions whereas premature responding increased approximately fourfold, compared with baseline. Effects of amphetamine were not significantly affected by daily morphine administration. Conclusions and Implications These data suggest that repeated administration of morphine increased effects of morphine on motor impulsivity, although tolerance developed to other effects, such as omissions. To the extent that impulsivity is a risk factor for drug abuse, repeated administration of μ opioid receptor agonists, for recreational or therapeutic purposes, might increase impulsivity and thus the risk for drug abuse. PMID:26776751

The Potential Role of Recombinant Activated Factor VIIa (rFVIIa) in Military Pre-Hospital Setting

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-09-01

coagulation factors and platelets by crystalloids, colloids, or blood products The severity of dilutional coagulopathy is determined by both volume and...RTO-MP-HFM-109 3 - 1 The Potential Role of Recombinant Activated Factor VIIa (rFVIIa) in Military Pre-Hospital Setting LTC (ret.) Uri...decrease mortality from exsanguinations. Recombinant factor VIIa (rFVIIa) has been shown to overcome a variety of coagulation and platelet disorders

Human Factors Engineering: Current and Emerging Dual-Use Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chandlee, G. O.; Goldsberry, B. S.

1994-01-01

Human Factors Engineering is a multidisciplinary endeavor in which information pertaining to human characteristics is used in the development of systems and machines. Six representatives considered to be experts from the public and private sectors were surveyed in an effort to identify the potential dual-use of human factors technology. Each individual was asked to provide a rating as to the dual-use of 85 identified NASA technologies. Results of the survey were as follows: nearly 75 percent of the technologies were identified at least once as high dual-use by one of the six survey respondents, and nearly 25 percent of the identified NASA technologies were identified as high dual-use technologies by a majority of the respondents. The perceived level of dual-use appeared to be independent of the technology category. Successful identification of dual-use technology requires expanded input from industry. As an adjunct, cost-benefit analysis should be conducted to identify the feasibility of the dual-use technology. Concurrent with this effort should be an examination of precedents established by other technologies in other industrial settings. Advances in human factors and systems engineering are critical to reduce risk in any workplace and to enhance industrial competitiveness.

Emotional Risks to Respondents in Survey Research: Some Empirical Evidence

PubMed Central

Labott, Susan M.; Johnson, Timothy P.; Fendrich, Michael; Feeny, Norah C.

2014-01-01

Some survey research has documented distress in respondents with pre-existing emotional vulnerabilities, suggesting the possibility of harm. In this study, respondents were interviewed about a personally distressing event; mood, stress, and emotional reactions were assessed. Two days later, respondents participated in interventions to either enhance or alleviate the effects of the initial interview. Results indicated that distressing interviews increased stress and negative mood, although no adverse events occurred. Between the interviews, moods returned to baseline. Respondents who again discussed a distressing event reported moods more negative than those who discussed a neutral or a positive event. This study provides evidence that, among nonvulnerable survey respondents, interviews on distressing topics can result in negative moods and stress, but they do not harm respondents. PMID:24169422

Psychological and Social Work Factors as Predictors of Mental Distress: A Prospective Study

PubMed Central

Finne, Live Bakke; Christensen, Jan Olav; Knardahl, Stein

2014-01-01

Studies exploring psychological and social work factors in relation to mental health problems (anxiety and depression) have mainly focused on a limited set of exposures. The current study investigated prospectively a broad set of specific psychological and social work factors as predictors of potentially clinically relevant mental distress (anxiety and depression), i.e. “caseness” level of distress. Employees were recruited from 48 Norwegian organizations, representing a wide variety of job types. A total of 3644 employees responded at both baseline and at follow-up two years later. Respondents were distributed across 832 departments within the 48 organizations. Nineteen work factors were measured. Two prospective designs were tested: (i) with baseline predictors and (ii) with average exposure over time ([T1+T2]/2) as predictors. Random intercept logistic regressions were conducted to account for clustering of the data. Baseline “cases” were excluded (n = 432). Age, sex, skill level, and mental distress as a continuous variable at T1 were adjusted for. Fourteen of 19 factors showed some prospective association with mental distress. The most consistent risk factor was role conflict (highest odds ratio [OR] 2.08, 99% confidence interval [CI]: 1.45–3.00). The most consistent protective factors were support from immediate superior (lowest OR 0.56, 99% CI: 0.43–0.72), fair leadership (lowest OR 0.52, 99% CI: 0.40–0.68), and positive challenge (lowest OR 0.60, 99% CI: 0.41–0.86). The present study demonstrated that a broad set of psychological and social work factors predicted mental distress of potential clinical relevance. Some of the most consistent predictors were different from those traditionally studied. This highlights the importance of expanding the range of factors beyond commonly studied concepts like the demand-control model and the effort-reward imbalance model. PMID:25048033

Using immersive simulation for training first responders for mass casualty incidents.

PubMed

Wilkerson, William; Avstreih, Dan; Gruppen, Larry; Beier, Klaus-Peter; Woolliscroft, James

2008-11-01

A descriptive study was performed to better understand the possible utility of immersive virtual reality simulation for training first responders in a mass casualty event. Utilizing a virtual reality cave automatic virtual environment (CAVE) and high-fidelity human patient simulator (HPS), a group of experts modeled a football stadium that experienced a terrorist explosion during a football game. Avatars (virtual patients) were developed by expert consensus that demonstrated a spectrum of injuries ranging from death to minor lacerations. A group of paramedics was assessed by observation for decisions made and action taken. A critical action checklist was created and used for direct observation and viewing videotaped recordings. Of the 12 participants, only 35.7% identified the type of incident they encountered. None identified a secondary device that was easily visible. All participants were enthusiastic about the simulation and provided valuable comments and insights. Learner feedback and expert performance review suggests that immersive training in a virtual environment has the potential to be a powerful tool to train first responders for high-acuity, low-frequency events, such as a terrorist attack.

Freeze-all cycle for all normal responders?

PubMed

Roque, Matheus; Valle, Marcello; Guimarães, Fernando; Sampaio, Marcos; Geber, Selmo

2017-02-01

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the freeze-all strategy in subgroups of normal responders, to assess whether this strategy is beneficial regardless of ovarian response, and to evaluate the possibility of implementing an individualized embryo transfer (iET) based on ovarian response. This was an observational, cohort study performed in a private IVF center. A total of 938 IVF cycles were included in this study. The patients were submitted to controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) with a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist protocol and a cleavage-stage day 3 embryo transfer. We performed a comparison of outcomes between the fresh embryo transfer (n = 523) and the freeze-all cycles (n = 415). The analysis was performed in two subgroups of patients based on the number of retrieved oocytes: Group 1 (4-9 oocytes) and Group 2 (10-15 oocytes). In Group 1 (4-9 retrieved oocytes), the implantation rates (IR) were 17.9 and 20.5% (P = 0.259) in the fresh and freeze-all group, respectively; the ongoing pregnancy rates (OPR) were 31 and 33% (P = 0.577) in the fresh and freeze-all group, respectively. In Group 2 (10-15 oocytes), the IR were 22.1 and 30.1% (P = 0.028) and the OPR were 34 and 47% (P = 0.021) in the fresh and freeze-all groups, respectively. Although the freeze-all policy may be related to better in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes in normal responders, these potential advantages decrease with worsening ovarian response. Patients with poorer ovarian response do not benefit from the freeze-all strategy.

Project Responder: technology needs for local emergency response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beakley, Guy; Garwin, Thomas; Pollard, Neal A.; Singley, George T., III; Tuohy, Robert V.; Lupo, Jasper

2003-09-01

Since April 2001, the Oklahoma City National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism has funded an effort by Hicks &Associates, Inc. and the Terrorism Research Center, Inc., aimed ultimately at improving local, state, and federal emergency responders" capabilities for mitigating the effects of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or explosive/ incendiary (CBRNE) terrorism. This effort, titled "Project Responder," began by developing an understanding of how state and local responders view their current capabilities, shortfalls, and needs. This paper discusses some of the results of this first phase of the effort that has resulted in a comprehensive report titled "Emergency Responders" Needs, Goals, and Priorities." This paper addresses two of the capabilities from that report which we believe are of most interest to this conference. There are ten other capabilities discussed in the report, which may also be of interest.

[A respondent-driven sampling survey on HIV and risk factors among men who have sex with men in Chongqing].

PubMed

Ouyang, Lin; Feng, Lian-gui; Ding, Xian-bin; Zhao, Jin-kou; Xu, Jing; Han, Mei; Zhou, Chao

2009-10-01

To examine HIV prevalence and related risk factors among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Chongqing, and to explore the feasibility of using respondent-driven sampling (RDS) in the survey. Based on results from formative research, a RDS survey was designed and conducted to collect demographic, behavioral and serologic data. RDSAT was used to calculate point estimation and confidence intervals. SPSS was used for bi-variate analysis using RDSAT exported weighed data. NETDRAW was used to draw network diagram. Among 617 subjects recruited, the adjusted HIV and syphilis prevalence rates were 16.8% and 10.9%, respectively. 73.0% of the subjects were 20 to 29 years old and 72.9% were officially registered residents of Chongqing. 83.4% were single, with the proportion of students the highest, accounting for 24.6%. During the last six months, 83.4% of them reported ever having anal sex, and 54.0% reported having unprotected anal sex. This survey confirmed that Chongqing had a higher reported HIV prevalence among MSM than from other Chinese cities. Comprehensive intervention services were required to address this alarmingly high prevalence, with focus on intervention through internet and those having syphilis infection. RDS seemed one of the effective ways of recruiting hidden MSM populations in Chongqing which had a large population of active MSM who did not frequently visit MSM venues as compared with snowball method.

Empowering First Responders - Peer-to-Peer Technology

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-04-01

the scene was challenging. Radio traffic overwhelmed the system to the extent that foot messengers became the most reliable means of communicating...sources of information critical to the incident at hand without the intervening “dispatcher” levels of interference. 14 The Challenge of Limited... hands of the front-line first responders. The proliferation of wireless communications and computers in the hands of first-responders continues

Indigenous Chinese Personality Constructs: Is the Five-Factor Model Complete?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheung, Fanny M.; Leung, Kwok; Zhang, Jian-Xin; Sun, Hai-Fa; Gan, Yi-Qun; Song, Wei-Zhen; Xie, Dong

2001-01-01

Three studies involving Chinese respondents from China and Hong Kong and diverse respondents from Hawaii compared the Chinese Personality Assessment Inventory factor structure with the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) and NEO-Five Factor Inventory. Results supported the universality of the five-factor model, the validity of NEO-PI-R,…

Responding to Children's Drawings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watts, Robert

2010-01-01

This article aims to explore the issues that face primary school teachers when responding to children's drawings. Assessment in art and design is an ongoing concern for teachers with limited experience and confidence in the area and, although children's drawings continue to be a focus of much research, the question of what it is that teachers say…

Clinical application of neurotrophic factors: the potential for primary auditory neuron protection

PubMed Central

Gillespie, Lisa N.; Shepherd, Robert K.

2007-01-01

Sensorineural hearing loss, as a result of damage to or destruction of the sensory epithelia within the cochlea, is a common cause of deafness. The subsequent degeneration of the neural elements within the inner ear may impinge upon the efficacy of the cochlear implant. Experimental studies have demonstrated that neurotrophic factors can prevent this degeneration in animal models of deafness, and can even provide functional benefits. Neurotrophic factor therapy may, therefore, provide similar protective effects in humans, resulting in improved speech perception outcomes among cochlear implant patients. There are, however, numerous issues pertaining to delivery techniques and treatment regimes which need to be addressed prior to any clinical application. This review considers these issues in view of the potential therapeutic application of neurotrophic factors within the auditory system. PMID:16262651

76 FR 68828 - Pipeline Safety: Emergency Responder Forum

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-07

... PHMSA-2011-0295] Pipeline Safety: Emergency Responder Forum AGENCY: Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), DOT. ACTION: Notice of Forum. SUMMARY: PHMSA is co-sponsoring a one-day Emergency Responder Forum with the National Association of Pipeline Safety Representatives and the United...

A Decision Process for Determining Whether to Conduct Responder Health Research Following Disasters

PubMed Central

Decker, John A.; Kiefer, Max; Reissman, Dori B.; Funk, Renée; Halpin, John; Bernard, Bruce; Ehrenberg, Richard L.; Schuler, Christine R.; Whelan, Elizabeth; Myers, Kyle; Howard, John

2015-01-01

Background Disasters often set the stage for scientific inquiry within the field of occupational safety and health. This is especially true when the long-term consequences of exposures associated with a particular disaster are unclear. However, a responder research study can be costly and difficult to design, and researchers must consider whether the proposed study will produce useful, reliable results and is a prudent public health investment. Methods Senior NIOSH scientists, experienced with disaster response and representing the disciplines of epidemiology, occupational medicine and psychiatry, and industrial hygiene, were convened at the request of the NIOSH Director to develop a decision process to help determine when to conduct responder health research following disasters. Results The decision process can be broken down into various components, including scientific rationale that should be formally recognized as critical to efficiently and effectively determine whether a research study is warranted. The scientific rationale includes certain controlling or “gatekeeper” factors that should be present to proceed with research. Providing the foundation for responder disaster research also requires strategizing before an event occurs, so that critical baseline and comparison data can be collected. Conclusions The recommended framework should ensure that research that is most needed and justified will be identified and prioritized. PMID:23716371

Dorsal hippocampus inactivation impairs spontaneous recovery of Pavlovian magazine approach responding in rats.

PubMed

Campese, Vincent D; Delamater, Andrew R

2014-08-01

Destruction or inactivation of the dorsal hippocampus (DH) has been shown to eliminate the renewal of extinguished fear [1-4]. However, it has recently been reported that the contextual control of responding to extinguished appetitive stimuli is not disrupted when the DH is destroyed or inactivated prior to tests for renewal of Pavlovian conditioned magazine approach [5]. In the present study we extend the analysis of DH control of appetitive extinction learning to the spontaneous recovery of Pavlovian conditioned magazine approach responding. Subjects were trained to associate two separate stimuli with the delivery of food and had muscimol or vehicle infused into the DH prior to a single test-session for spontaneous recovery occurring immediately following extinction of one of these stimuli, but one week following extinction of the other. While vehicle treated subjects showed more recovery to the distally extinguished stimulus than the proximal one, muscimol treated subjects failed to show spontaneous recovery to either stimulus. This result suggests that, while the DH is not involved in the control of extinction by physical contexts [5], it may be involved when time is the gating factor controlling recovery of extinguished responding. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Tips for Disaster Responders: Preventing and Managing Stress

MedlinePlus

... are called upon to respond, as well as approaches you can apply to manage stress during your deployment. You can also download SAMHSA’s new Disaster Behavioral Health App and access resources specific to pre- and post-deployment (for responders, supervisors, and family members). Stress ...

Responding to a Suicide Emergency

MedlinePlus

... Share this! Home » Health Tips Responding To A Suicide Emergency Suicide takes the lives of nearly 40,000 Americans ... year saving those who try to kill themselves. "Suicide can be prevented if people learn to recognize ...

Response to ticagrelor in clopidogrel nonresponders and responders and effect of switching therapies: the RESPOND study.

PubMed

Gurbel, Paul A; Bliden, Kevin P; Butler, Kathleen; Antonino, Mark J; Wei, Cheryl; Teng, Renli; Rasmussen, Lars; Storey, Robert F; Nielsen, Tonny; Eikelboom, John W; Sabe-Affaki, Georges; Husted, Steen; Kereiakes, Dean J; Henderson, David; Patel, Dharmendra V; Tantry, Udaya S

2010-03-16

The antiplatelet effects of the Platelet Inhibition and Patient Outcomes (PLATO) trial dose of ticagrelor in patients nonresponsive to clopidogrel and after they switch agents are unknown. Patients with stable coronary artery disease on aspirin therapy received a 300-mg clopidogrel load; nonresponders were identified by light transmittance aggregometry. In a 2-way crossover design, nonresponders (n=41) and responders (n=57) randomly received clopidogrel (600 mg/75 mg once daily) or ticagrelor (180 mg/90 mg twice daily) for 14 days during period 1. In period 2, all nonresponders switched treatment; half of the responders continued the same treatment, whereas the others switched treatment. Inhibition of platelet aggregation was higher in nonresponders treated with ticagrelor compared with clopidogrel (P<0.05). Treatment with ticagrelor among nonresponders resulted in a >10%, >30%, and >50% decrease in platelet aggregation from baseline in 100%, 75%, and 13% of patients, respectively. Platelet aggregation fell from 59+/-9% to 35+/-11% in patients switched from clopidogrel to ticagrelor and increased from 36+/-14% to 56+/-9% in patients switched from ticagrelor to clopidogrel (P<0.0001 for both). Platelet reactivity was below the cut points previously associated with ischemic risk measured by light transmittance aggregometry, VerifyNow P2Y(12) assay, and vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein phosphorylation in 98% to 100% of patients after ticagrelor therapy versus 44% to 76% of patients after clopidogrel therapy. Ticagrelor therapy overcomes nonresponsiveness to clopidogrel, and its antiplatelet effect is the same in responders and nonresponders. Nearly all clopidogrel nonresponders and responders treated with ticagrelor will have platelet reactivity below the cut points associated with ischemic risk. Clinical Trial Registration- http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique Identifier: NCT00642811.

Interviewer-Respondent Interactions in Conversational and Standardized Interviewing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mittereder, Felicitas; Durow, Jen; West, Brady T.; Kreuter, Frauke; Conrad, Frederick G.

2018-01-01

Standardized interviewing (SI) and conversational interviewing are two approaches to collect survey data that differ in how interviewers address respondent confusion. This article examines interviewer-respondent interactions that occur during these two techniques, focusing on requests for and provisions of clarification. The data derive from an…

Telephone survey respondents' reactions to questions regarding interpersonal violence.

PubMed

Black, Michele C; Kresnow, Marcie-jo; Simon, Thomas R; Arias, Ileana; Shelley, Gene

2006-08-01

Concerns have been raised regarding the appropriateness of asking about violence victimization in telephone interviews and whether asking such questions increases respondents' distress or risk for harm. However, no large-scale studies have evaluated the impact of asking such questions during a telephone interview. This study explored respondents' reactions to questions regarding violence in two large recently completed telephone surveys. After respondents were asked about violence, they were asked if they thought surveys should ask such questions and whether they felt upset or afraid because of the questions. In both surveys, the majority of respondents (regardless of their victimization history) were willing to answer questions about violence and were not upset or afraid because of the questions. More than 92% of respondents thought such questions should be asked. These results challenge commonly held beliefs and assumptions and provide some assurance to those concerned with the ethical collection of data on violent victimization.

Evaluation of study design variables and their impact on food-maintained operant responding in mice.

PubMed

Haluk, Desirae M; Wickman, Kevin

2010-03-05

Operant conditioning paradigms are useful for studying factors involved in reward, particularly when combined with the tools of genetic manipulation in mice. Published operant studies involving mice vary widely with respect to design, and insight into the consequences of design choices on performance in mice is limited. Here, we evaluated the impact of five design variables on the performance of inbred male mice in operant tasks involving solid food pellets as reinforcing agents. We found that the use of lever-press or nose-poke during FR1 sessions did not impact the performance of C57BL/6 mice, but that the lever-press approach correlated with enhanced performance during PR testing. While FR1 session duration had a notable impact on the rate of acquisition of food-maintained responding, performance during FR1 and PR sessions was largely unaffected. Higher order schedules of reinforcement (FR3 and FR5) led to elevated responding during both FR and PR sessions, and improved the correspondence between rewards earned and consumed. Single and group-housed mice performed indistinguishably during FR1 and PR sessions, while environmental enrichment combined with group housing accelerated the rate of acquisition of food-maintained responding while decreasing responding during PR testing. Finally, while C57BL/6 and 129/Sv mice exhibited comparable behavior during FR1 sessions, C57BL/6 mice tended to acquire food-maintained responding faster than 129/Sv counterparts, and exhibited elevated responding during PR testing. Altogether, our findings indicate that while operant performance for food in mice is relatively insensitive to many study parameters, experimental outcomes can be shaped predictably with proper design decisions. Copyright 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

BIOHAZ: Rapid On-Site Biological Detection for First Responders

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-09-01

numbers comprise the compilation report: ADP013371 thru ADP013468 UNCLASSIFIED 84. BIORAZ: Rapid On- Site Biological Detection for First Responders Randall... responders an integated capability to collect an environmental sample and to rapidly screen that sample on site for the presence of biological material. This...further analyzed on site with immunoassay tickets before being sent to a laboratory. This system provides the emergency responders with a capability that

Treatment of Amblyopia and Amblyopia Risk Factors Based on Current Evidence.

PubMed

Koo, Euna B; Gilbert, Aubrey L; VanderVeen, Deborah K

2017-01-01

Amblyopia is a leading cause of low vision and warrants timely management during childhood. We performed a literature review of the management of amblyopia and potential risk factors for amblyopia. Literature review of the management of amblyopia and risk factors for amblyopia. Common amblyopia risk factors include anisometropic or high refractive error, strabismus, cataract, and ptosis. Often a conservative approach with spectacles is enough to prevent amblyopia. However, surgery may be necessary to clear the visual axis or align the eyes. Amblyopia risk factors should be managed early. Though amblyopia treatment is more likely to be successful at a younger age, those who are older but treatment-naïve may still respond to treatment. Promoting binocular or dichoptic experiences may be the future direction of amblyopia management.

The Principal Spectrum Runs from Initiators to Responders.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rutherford, William L.

1990-01-01

Most principals are either initiators, responders, or managers. Initiators seek out new information, take control of situations, and intervene to support teachers or correct problems. Responders ignore new information, have vague goals, and enact programs initiated by the central office. Manager principals have a hybrid style that generally…

28 CFR 115.164 - Staff first responder duties.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Staff first responder duties. 115.164... NATIONAL STANDARDS Standards for Lockups Official Response Following A Detainee Report § 115.164 Staff... first law enforcement staff member to respond to the report shall be required to: (1) Separate the...

28 CFR 115.164 - Staff first responder duties.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Staff first responder duties. 115.164... NATIONAL STANDARDS Standards for Lockups Official Response Following A Detainee Report § 115.164 Staff... first law enforcement staff member to respond to the report shall be required to: (1) Separate the...

28 CFR 115.164 - Staff first responder duties.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Staff first responder duties. 115.164... NATIONAL STANDARDS Standards for Lockups Official Response Following A Detainee Report § 115.164 Staff... first law enforcement staff member to respond to the report shall be required to: (1) Separate the...

Concordance of occupational and environmental exposure information elicited from patients with Alzheimer's disease and surrogate respondents

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chong, J.P.; Turpie, I.; Haines, T.

Identification of risk factors for Alzheimer's disease through the use of well designed case-control studies has been described as a research priority. Increasing recognition of the neurotoxic potential of many industrial chemicals such as organic solvents raises the question of the occupational and environmental contribution to the etiology of this high-priority health problem. The intention of this study was to develop and evaluate a methodology that could be used in a large scale case-control study of the occupational and environmental risk factors for dementia or a population-based surveillance system for neurotoxic disorders. The specific objectives of this study were tomore » investigate: (1) the reliability of exposure-eliciting, interviewer-administered questionnaires given to patients with Alzheimer's disease (SDAT); (2) the reliability of exposure-eliciting interviewer-administered questionnaires given to the family of patients with SDAT and the agreement with the responses of the patient or surrogate respondents; (3) the reliability and agreement of responses of age- and sex-matched control patients and their families selected from geriatric care institutions and the community, with respect to the same exposure-eliciting and interviewer-administered questionnaire; and (4) the reliability of agent-based exposure ascertainment by a single, trained rater. The results of the study demonstrate that occupational and environmental histories from which exposure information can be derived is most reliably elicited from job descriptions of cases and control subjects rather than job titles alone or detailed probes for potential neurotoxic exposures. This will necessitate the use of standardized interviewer-administered instruments to derive this information in case-control studies of Alzheimer's disease or population-based surveillance systems for occupational and environmental neurotoxicity.« less

Factor Influencing Creative Industries Development in Kenjeran Surabaya

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siswanto, V. K.; Santoso, E. B.

2017-07-01

Indonesia needs to improve the competitiveness of local products to optimize its contribution to the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) for the welfare of the population. This can be done by improving the development of creative industries. Kenjeran Sub District is one of the coastal villages in the city of Surabaya, which has a large number of poor people. The potential of the creative industries is still not visible in efforts to increase public welfare. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the factors that influence the development of creative industries in Kenjeran. This study using in-depth interview were analysed using content analysis and Cartesian diagram to determine the important factors that affect the development of creative industries in Sub district of Kenjeran. By using five respondents from the government shows that the factors that have a high level of importance and advantages are low among other regulatory factors of raw materials, import and export, extortion, and administrative procedures.

The operant-respondent distinction: Future directions

PubMed Central

Pear, Joseph J.; Eldridge, Gloria D.

1984-01-01

The operant-respondent distinction has provided a major organizing framework for the data generated through the experimental analysis of behavior. Problems have been encountered, however, in using it as an explanatory concept for such phenomena as avoidance and conditioned suppression. Data now exist that do not fit neatly into the framework. Moreover, the discovery of autoshaping has highlighted difficulties in isolating the two types of behavior and conditioning. Despite these problems, the operant-respondent framework remains the most successful paradigm currently available for organizing behavioral data. Research and theoretical efforts should therefore probably be directed to modifying the framework to account for disparate data. PMID:16812402

Proteomic analysis of human follicular fluid in poor ovarian responders during in vitro fertilization.

PubMed

Oh, Jae Won; Kim, Seul Ki; Cho, Kyung-Cho; Kim, Min-Sik; Suh, Chang Suk; Lee, Jung Ryeol; Kim, Kwang Pyo

2017-03-01

Poor ovarian response (POR) in controlled ovarian stimulation is often observed during in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer cycles and it is a major problem. A POR has been found to be related to several factors, including advanced age, high body mass index, and history of ovarian or pelvic surgery. However, it is difficult to predict POR, as there are no specific biomarkers known. In this study, we used quantitative proteomic analyses to investigate potential biomarkers that can predict poor response during in vitro fertilization based on follicular fluid samples. A total of 1079 proteins were identified using a high-resolution orbitrap mass spectrometer coupled online to a nanoflow-LC system. It is notable that 65 upregulated and 66 downregulated proteins were found to be functionally enriched in poor responders. We also validated these differentially expressed proteins using a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer for quantification of targeted proteins. Of the differentially expressed proteins, three proteins (pregnancy zone protein, renin, and sushi repeat-containing protein SRPX) were regarded as statistically significant (p < 0.05). © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

UKPDS 59: hyperglycemia and other potentially modifiable risk factors for peripheral vascular disease in type 2 diabetes.

PubMed

Adler, Amanda I; Stevens, Richard J; Neil, Andrew; Stratton, Irene M; Boulton, Andrew J M; Holman, Rury R

2002-05-01

To determine the role of hyperglycemia in prospective analyses of peripheral vascular disease (PVD) in type 2 diabetes, taking into account other potential risk factors. Potential risk factors for the development of PVD were examined in 3,834 of 5,102 individuals enrolled in the U.K. Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) without PVD at diagnosis of diabetes, followed for 6 years, and for whom relevant data were available. PVD was defined as two of the following: ankle-arm blood pressure index < 0.8, absence of both dorsalis pedis and posterior tibial pulses to palpation in one or both legs, and intermittent claudication. Logistic regression was used to estimate the association between potential risk factors measured 3-4 months after diagnosis of diabetes and incident PVD. The prevalence of PVD at 3-year intervals to 18 years was determined. Hyperglycemia, assessed as HbA(1c), was associated with an increased risk for incident PVD, independent of other risk factors including age, increased systolic blood pressure, reduced HDL cholesterol, smoking, prior cardiovascular disease, peripheral sensory neuropathy, and retinopathy. Each 1% increase in HbA(1c) was associated with a 28% increased risk of PVD (95% CI 12-46), and each 10-mmHg increase in systolic blood pressure with a 25% increase in risk (95% CI 10-43). Hyperglycemia, as well as smoking, dyslipidemia, and blood pressure are potentially modifiable risk factors for the development of PVD.

Local Government Capacity to Respond to Environmental Change: Insights from Towns in New York State.

PubMed

Larson, Lincoln R; Lauber, T Bruce; Kay, David L; Cutts, Bethany B

2017-07-01

Local governments attempting to respond to environmental change face an array of challenges. To better understand policy responses and factors influencing local government capacity to respond to environmental change, we studied three environmental issues affecting rural or peri-urban towns in different regions of New York State: climate change in the Adirondacks (n = 63 towns), loss of open space due to residential/commercial development in the Hudson Valley (n = 50), and natural gas development in the Southern Tier (n = 62). Our analysis focused on towns' progression through three key stages of the environmental policy process (issue awareness and salience, common goals and agenda setting, policy development and implementation) and the factors that affect this progression and overall capacity for environmental governance. We found that-when compared to towns addressing open space development and natural gas development-towns confronted with climate change were at a much earlier stage in the policy process and were generally less likely to display the essential resources, social support, and political legitimacy needed for an effective policy response. Social capital cultivated through collaboration and networking was strongly associated with towns' policy response across all regions and could help municipalities overcome omnipresent resource constraints. By comparing and contrasting municipal responses to each issue, this study highlights the processes and factors influencing local government capacity to address a range of environmental changes across diverse management contexts.

Identification of post traumatic stress disorder and risk factors in military first responders 6 months after Wen Chuan earthquake in China.

PubMed

Wang, Huanlin; Jin, Hua; Nunnink, Sarah E; Guo, Wei; Sun, Jian; Shi, Jianan; Zhao, Bin; Bi, Yinhau; Yan, Tongjun; Yu, Haiying; Wang, Guangjian; Gao, Zhiqing; Zhao, Hanqing; Ou, Yanghui; Song, Zixiagn; Chen, Fangbin; Lohr, James B; Baker, Dewleen G

2011-04-01

Military personnel commonly serve as first responders to natural disasters. Our aim is to identify Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and determine risk in military responders to the Wen Chuan earthquake. Analyses were carried out on 1056 of the 1125 soldiers enrolled. In addition to social demographic characteristics, the Davidson Trauma Scale (DTS) and an Earthquake exposure screening scale were administered. PTSD prevalence was 6.53% (69 cases). Logistic regression indicated that intensity of traumatic exposure (odds ratio 6.46, 95% CI 4.47-9.32, p<0.001), not having received psychological counseling (odds ratio 3.28, 95% CI 1.31-8.20, p<0.02) and regular drinking (odds ratio 2.42, 95% CI 1.04-5.62, p<0.05) were significant predictors of PTSD. Being a single-child, not being raised by both parents and regular smoking also independently predicted PTSD if intensity of earthquake traumatic exposure was not included in the model. The self-rated DTS was used to classify PTSD in this study and psychiatric co-morbidity outside of PTSD was not assessed in this sample. PTSD is a concern for Military disaster responders; to identify those with high risk of developing PTSD would be important and beneficial. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Towards an understanding of resilience: responding to health systems shocks.

PubMed

Hanefeld, Johanna; Mayhew, Susannah; Legido-Quigley, Helena; Martineau, Frederick; Karanikolos, Marina; Blanchet, Karl; Liverani, Marco; Yei Mokuwa, Esther; McKay, Gillian; Balabanova, Dina

2018-04-01

The recent outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in West Africa has drawn attention to the role and responsiveness of health systems in the face of shock. It brought into sharp focus the idea that health systems need not only to be stronger but also more 'resilient'. In this article, we argue that responding to shocks is an important aspect of resilience, examining the health system behaviour in the face of four types of contemporary shocks: the financial crisis in Europe from 2008 onwards; climate change disasters; the EVD outbreak in West Africa 2013-16; and the recent refugee and migration crisis in Europe. Based on this analysis, we identify '3 plus 2' critical dimensions of particular relevance to health systems' ability to adapt and respond to shocks; actions in all of these will determine the extent to which a response is successful. These are three core dimensions corresponding to three health systems functions: 'health information systems' (having the information and the knowledge to make a decision on what needs to be done); 'funding/financing mechanisms' (investing or mobilising resources to fund a response); and 'health workforce' (who should plan and implement it and how). These intersect with two cross-cutting aspects: 'governance', as a fundamental function affecting all other system dimensions; and predominant 'values' shaping the response, and how it is experienced at individual and community levels. Moreover, across the crises examined here, integration within the health system contributed to resilience, as does connecting with local communities, evidenced by successful community responses to Ebola and social movements responding to the financial crisis. In all crises, inequalities grew, yet our evidence also highlights that the impact of shocks is amenable to government action. All these factors are shaped by context. We argue that the '3 plus 2' dimensions can inform pragmatic policies seeking to increase health systems resilience.

Effectiveness of a high-throughput genetic analysis in the identification of responders/non-responders to CYP2D6-metabolized drugs.

PubMed

Savino, Maria; Seripa, Davide; Gallo, Antonietta P; Garrubba, Maria; D'Onofrio, Grazia; Bizzarro, Alessandra; Paroni, Giulia; Paris, Francesco; Mecocci, Patrizia; Masullo, Carlo; Pilotto, Alberto; Santini, Stefano A

2011-01-01

Recent studies investigating the single cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2D6 allele *2A reported an association with the response to drug treatments. More genetic data can be obtained, however, by high-throughput based-technologies. Aim of this study is the high-throughput analysis of the CYP2D6 polymorphisms to evaluate its effectiveness in the identification of patient responders/non-responders to CYP2D6-metabolized drugs. An attempt to compare our results with those previously obtained with the standard analysis of CYP2D6 allele *2A was also made. Sixty blood samples from patients treated with CYP2D6-metabolized drugs previously genotyped for the allele CYP2D6*2A, were analyzed for the CYP2D6 polymorphisms with the AutoGenomics INFINITI CYP4502D6-I assay on the AutoGenomics INFINITI analyzer. A higher frequency of mutated alleles in responder than in non-responder patients (75.38 % vs 43.48 %; p = 0.015) was observed. Thus, the presence of a mutated allele of CYP2D6 was associated with a response to CYP2D6-metabolized drugs (OR = 4.044 (1.348 - 12.154). No difference was observed in the distribution of allele *2A (p = 0.320). The high-throughput genetic analysis of the CYP2D6 polymorphisms better discriminate responders/non-responders with respect to the standard analysis of the CYP2D6 allele *2A. A high-throughput genetic assay of the CYP2D6 may be useful to identify patients with different clinical responses to CYP2D6-metabolized drugs.

Pathways to potentially preventable hospitalizations for diabetes and heart failure: a qualitative analysis of patient perspectives.

PubMed

Sentell, Tetine L; Seto, Todd B; Young, Malia M; Vawer, May; Quensell, Michelle L; Braun, Kathryn L; Taira, Deborah A

2016-07-26

Potentially preventable hospitalizations (PPH) for heart failure (HF) and diabetes mellitus (DM) cost the United States over $14 billion annually. Studies about PPH typically lack patient perspectives, especially across diverse racial/ethnic groups with known PPH health disparities. English-speaking individuals with a HF or DM-related PPH (n = 90) at the largest hospital in Hawai'i completed an in-person interview, including open-ended questions on precipitating factors to their PPH. Using the framework approach, two independent coders identified patient-reported factors and pathways to their PPH. Seventy-two percent of respondents were under 65 years, 30 % were female, 90 % had health insurance, and 66 % had previously been hospitalized for the same problem. Patients' stories identified immediate, precipitating, and underlying reasons for the admission. Underlying background factors were critical to understanding why patients had the acute problems necessitating their hospitalizations. Six, non-exclusive, underlying factors included: extreme social vulnerability (e.g., homeless, poverty, no social support, reported by 54 % of respondents); health system interaction issues (e.g., poor communication with providers, 44 %); limited health-related knowledge (42 %); behavioral health issues (e.g., substance abuse, mental illness, 36 %); denial of illness (27 %); and practical problems (e.g., too busy, 6 %). From these findings, we developed a model to understand an individual's pathways to a PPH through immediate, precipitating, and underlying factors, which could help identify potential intervention foci. We demonstrate the model's utility using five examples. In a young, predominately insured population, factors well outside the traditional purview of the hospital, or even clinical medicine, critically influenced many PPH. Patient perspectives were vital to understanding this issue. Innovative partnerships and policies should address these issues

Understanding and Responding to Adolescent Girls' Online Cruelty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sokal, Laura

2012-01-01

Many school counsellors have identified "cyber-bullying" among adolescent girls as a growing concern. In order to respond to this issue, this article begins with a new model of cyber-communications from the unique perspective of adolescent girls. Next, it explores the limitations of responding to this model, based on current understandings of…

The Memory Trace Supporting Lose-Shift Responding Decays Rapidly after Reward Omission and Is Distinct from Other Learning Mechanisms in Rats.

PubMed

Gruber, Aaron J; Thapa, Rajat

2016-01-01

The propensity of animals to shift choices immediately after unexpectedly poor reinforcement outcomes is a pervasive strategy across species and tasks. We report here that the memory supporting such lose-shift responding in rats rapidly decays during the intertrial interval and persists throughout training and testing on a binary choice task, despite being a suboptimal strategy. Lose-shift responding is not positively correlated with the prevalence and temporal dependence of win-stay responding, and it is inconsistent with predictions of reinforcement learning on the task. These data provide further evidence that win-stay and lose-shift are mediated by dissociated neural mechanisms and indicate that lose-shift responding presents a potential confound for the study of choice in the many operant choice tasks with short intertrial intervals. We propose that this immediate lose-shift responding is an intrinsic feature of the brain's choice mechanisms that is engaged as a choice reflex and works in parallel with reinforcement learning and other control mechanisms to guide action selection.

A cohort study on elderly individuals newly certified as requiring long-term care: comparison of rates of care-needs certifications between basic checklist respondents/specific health examinees and non-respondents/non-examinees of 37,000 elderlies in a city.

PubMed

Fujimoto, Megumi; Katsura, Toshiki; Hoshino, Akiko; Shizawa, Miho; Usui, Kanae; Yokoyama, Eri; Hara, Mayumi

2018-05-01

Objective: The rates of care-needs certification were mainly compared between two cohorts: 7,820 specific health checkup examinees/basic checklist respondents and 29,234 non-examinees/non-respondents. Subjects and Methods: Among approximately 37,000 elderly citizens of X City, the number of individuals newly certified as requiring long-term care were observed from the date of the first specific health checkup in 2008 to March 31, 2013. The aggregated totals of these individuals and associated factors were evaluated. Results: 1. Support Required 1, Support Required 2, and Long-term Care Required (level 1) certified individuals accounted for approximately 80% of newly certified individuals aged 65-74 years. Newly certified individuals aged 75 years and over had similar results with 37.2% of them being certified Support Required 1, 19.4% certified Support Required 2, and 22.9% certified Long-term Care Required (level 1). 2. The primary factors for care-needs certification in individuals aged 65-74 years were arthritic disorder in 27.6%, falls and bone fractures in 11.3%, and malignant neoplasm and cerebrovascular disease, among others. This was similar for individuals aged 75 years or over. 3. Of the 7,820 specific health checkup examinees/basic checklist respondents, 1,280 were newly certified as requiring long-term care (16.4%) compared to 7,878 (26.9%) of the 29,234 non-examinees/non-respondents. Therefore, the latter cohort had a significantly higher rate of individuals who were newly certified as requiring long-term care. Conclusion: Both specific health checkups and basic checklists are effective health policies to protect frailty in community elderlies.

French version of the Family Attitude Scale: psychometric properties and relation of attitudes to the respondent's psychiatric status.

PubMed

Vandeleur, Caroline L; Kavanagh, David J; Favez, Nicolas; Castelao, Enrique; Preisig, Martin

2013-12-15

The Family Attitude Scale (FAS) is a self-report measure of critical or hostile attitudes and behaviors towards another family member, and demonstrates an ability to predict relapse in psychoses. Data are not currently available on a French version of the scale. The present study developed a French version of the FAS, using a large general population sample to test its internal structure, criterion validity and relationships with the respondents' symptoms and psychiatric diagnoses, and examined the reciprocity of FAS ratings by respondents and their partners. A total of 2072 adults from an urban population undertook a diagnostic interview and completed self-report measures, including an FAS about their partner. A subset of participants had partners who also completed the FAS. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed an excellent fit by a single-factor model, and the FAS demonstrated a strong association with dyadic adjustment. FAS scores of respondents were affected by their anxiety levels and mood, alcohol and anxiety diagnoses, and moderate reciprocity of attitudes and behaviors between the partners was seen. The French version of the FAS has similarly strong psychometric properties to the original English version. Future research should assess the ability of the French FAS to predict relapse of psychiatric disorders. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Aircraft passenger comfort experience: underlying factors and differentiation from discomfort.

PubMed

Ahmadpour, Naseem; Robert, Jean-Marc; Lindgaard, Gitte

2016-01-01

Previous studies defined passengers' comfort based on their concerns during the flight and a set of eight experiential factors such as 'peace of mind', 'physical wellbeing', 'pleasure', etc. One Objective of this paper was to determine whether the factors underlying the passengers' experience of comfort differ from those of discomfort. Another objective was to cross-validate those factors. In the first study, respondents provided written reports of flight comfort and discomfort experiences separately and gave ratings on the impact of the eight factors on each experience. Follow up interviews were also conducted. Significant difference was found between comfort and discomfort ratings for two factors of 'pleasure', denoted by one's concern for stimulation, ambience and exceeded expectations, and 'physical wellbeing' characterized in terms of bodily support and energy. However, there were no significant differences between the comfort and discomfort ratings on the other six factors. The evidence does not support the proposition that passenger comfort and discomfort are underline by different sets of factors. It is therefore suggested that the evaluation of overall passenger comfort experience, as a whole, employ one spectrum ranging from extreme comfort to discomfort. In study two, a pool of comfort descriptors was collected. Those that were less relevant to passenger comfort were eliminated in a number of steps. Factor analysis was used to classify the remaining descriptors, using respondents' ratings on their potential impact on passenger comfort. Seven factors corresponded to the pre-determined passenger comfort factors from previous research, validating those with an exception of 'proxemics' (concerning one's privacy and control over their situation) but it was argued that this is due to the nature of the factor itself, which is context dependent and generally perceived unconsciously. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

On the potential impact of the newly proposed quality factors on space radiation protection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, John W.; Townsend, Lawrence W.; Cucinotta, Francis A.

1987-01-01

The recently proposed changes in the defined quality factor hold great potential for easing some of the protection requirements from electrons and protons in the near-Earth environment. At the same time, the high Linear Energy Transfer (LET) components play an even more important role which must be further evaluated. Several recommendations are made which need to be addressed before these new quality factors can be implemented into space radiation potection practice.

Prevalence and factors of intensive care unit conflicts: the conflicus study.

PubMed

Azoulay, Elie; Timsit, Jean-François; Sprung, Charles L; Soares, Marcio; Rusinová, Katerina; Lafabrie, Ariane; Abizanda, Ricardo; Svantesson, Mia; Rubulotta, Francesca; Ricou, Bara; Benoit, Dominique; Heyland, Daren; Joynt, Gavin; Français, Adrien; Azeivedo-Maia, Paulo; Owczuk, Radoslaw; Benbenishty, Julie; de Vita, Michael; Valentin, Andreas; Ksomos, Akos; Cohen, Simon; Kompan, Lidija; Ho, Kwok; Abroug, Fekri; Kaarlola, Anne; Gerlach, Herwig; Kyprianou, Theodoros; Michalsen, Andrej; Chevret, Sylvie; Schlemmer, Benoît

2009-11-01

Many sources of conflict exist in intensive care units (ICUs). Few studies recorded the prevalence, characteristics, and risk factors for conflicts in ICUs. To record the prevalence, characteristics, and risk factors for conflicts in ICUs. One-day cross-sectional survey of ICU clinicians. Data on perceived conflicts in the week before the survey day were obtained from 7,498 ICU staff members (323 ICUs in 24 countries). Conflicts were perceived by 5,268 (71.6%) respondents. Nurse-physician conflicts were the most common (32.6%), followed by conflicts among nurses (27.3%) and staff-relative conflicts (26.6%). The most common conflict-causing behaviors were personal animosity, mistrust, and communication gaps. During end-of-life care, the main sources of perceived conflict were lack of psychological support, absence of staff meetings, and problems with the decision-making process. Conflicts perceived as severe were reported by 3,974 (53%) respondents. Job strain was significantly associated with perceiving conflicts and with greater severity of perceived conflicts. Multivariate analysis identified 15 factors associated with perceived conflicts, of which 6 were potential targets for future intervention: staff working more than 40 h/wk, more than 15 ICU beds, caring for dying patients or providing pre- and postmortem care within the last week, symptom control not ensured jointly by physicians and nurses, and no routine unit-level meetings. Over 70% of ICU workers reported perceived conflicts, which were often considered severe and were significantly associated with job strain. Workload, inadequate communication, and end-of-life care emerged as important potential targets for improvement.

Characterizing Hospital Workers' Willingness to Respond to a Radiological Event

PubMed Central

Balicer, Ran D.; Catlett, Christina L.; Barnett, Daniel J.; Thompson, Carol B.; Hsu, Edbert B.; Morton, Melinda J.; Semon, Natalie L.; Watson, Christopher M.; Gwon, Howard S.; Links, Jonathan M.

2011-01-01

Introduction Terrorist use of a radiological dispersal device (RDD, or “dirty bomb”), which combines a conventional explosive device with radiological materials, is among the National Planning Scenarios of the United States government. Understanding employee willingness to respond is critical for planning experts. Previous research has demonstrated that perception of threat and efficacy is key in the assessing willingness to respond to a RDD event. Methods An anonymous online survey was used to evaluate the willingness of hospital employees to respond to a RDD event. Agreement with a series of belief statements was assessed, following a methodology validated in previous work. The survey was available online to all 18,612 employees of the Johns Hopkins Hospital from January to March 2009. Results Surveys were completed by 3426 employees (18.4%), whose demographic distribution was similar to overall hospital staff. 39% of hospital workers were not willing to respond to a RDD scenario if asked but not required to do so. Only 11% more were willing if required. Workers who were hesitant to agree to work additional hours when required were 20 times less likely to report during a RDD emergency. Respondents who perceived their peers as likely to report to work in a RDD emergency were 17 times more likely to respond during a RDD event if asked. Only 27.9% of the hospital employees with a perception of low efficacy declared willingness to respond to a severe RDD event. Perception of threat had little impact on willingness to respond among hospital workers. Conclusions Radiological scenarios such as RDDs are among the most dreaded emergency events yet studied. Several attitudinal indicators can help to identify hospital employees unlikely to respond. These risk-perception modifiers must then be addressed through training to enable effective hospital response to a RDD event. PMID:22046238

Reliability Concerns in Measuring Respondent Skin Tone by Interviewer Observation

PubMed Central

Hannon, Lance; DeFina, Robert

2016-01-01

The current study assesses the intercoder reliability of one of the most important skin tone measurement instruments—the Massey–Martin scale. This scale is used in several high-profile social surveys, but has not yet been psychometrically evaluated. The current evaluation is only possible because, for the first time, the General Social Survey’s 2010–2014 panel used the instrument to guide interviewers’ skin tone observation of the same respondents in two different years (2012 and 2014). Despite the widespread use of the Massey–Martin scale to investigate potential effects of skin tone on social attitudes and outcomes, the data suggest that the measure has low intercoder reliability. Implications for researchers and survey practitioners are discussed. PMID:27274576

Simulation analysis of operation respond in a field setting

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-01-01

The Operation Respond system aims to facilitate rapid access to transportation carrier databases containing information on hazardous material cargo. As a consequence, first responders, such as police and fire department personnel, are expected to res...

Can lay responder defibrillation programmes improve survival to hospital discharge following an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest?

PubMed

Smith, Leigh M; Davidson, Patricia M; Halcomb, Elizabeth J; Andrew, Sharon

2007-11-01

The importance of early defibrillation in improving outcomes and reducing morbidity following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest underscores the importance of examining novel approaches to treatment access. The increasing evidence to support the importance of early defibrillation has increased attention on the potential for lay responders to deliver this therapy. This paper seeks to critically review the literature that evaluates the impact of lay responder defibrillator programs on survival to hospital discharge following an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the adult population. The electronic databases, Medline and CINAHL, were searched using keywords including; "first responder", "lay responder", "defibrillation" and "cardiac arrest". The reference lists of retrieved articles and the Internet were also searched. Articles were included in the review if they reported primary data, in the English language, which described the effect of a lay responder defibrillation program on survival to hospital discharge from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in adults. Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria. The small number of published studies, heterogeneity of study populations and study outcome methods prohibited formal meta-analysis. Therefore, narrative analysis was undertaken. Studies included in this report provided inconsistent findings in relation to survival to hospital discharge following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Although there are limited data, the role of the lay responder appears promising in improving the outcome from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest following early defibrillation. Despite the inherent methodological difficulties in studying this population, future research should address outcomes related to morbidity, mortality and cost-effectiveness.

Hemophilia A Pseudoaneurysm in a Patient with High Responding Inhibitors Complicating Total Knee Arthroplasty: Embolization: A Cost-Reducing Alternative to Medical Therapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kickuth, Ralph, E-mail: ralph.kickuth@insel.ch; Anderson, Suzanne; Peter-Salonen, Kristiina

2006-12-15

Joint hemorrhages are very common in patients with severe hemophilia. Inhibitors in patients with hemophilia are allo-antibodies that neutralize the activity of the clotting factor. After total knee replacement, rare intra-articular bleeding complications might occur that do not respond to clotting factor replacement. We report a 40-year-old male with severe hemophilia A and high responding inhibitors presenting with recurrent knee joint hemorrhage after bilateral knee prosthetic surgery despite adequate clotting factor treatment. There were two episodes of marked postoperative hemarthrosis requiring extensive use of subsititution therapy. Eleven days postoperatively, there was further hemorrhage into the right knee. Digital subtraction angiographymore » diagnosed a complicating pseudoaneurysm of the inferior lateral geniculate artery and embolization was successfully performed. Because clotting factor replacement therapy has proved to be excessively expensive and prolonged, especially in patients with inhibitors, we recommend the use of cost-effective early angiographic embolization.« less

Forecasting Potential Crises.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neufeld, William P.

1984-01-01

By foreseeing the possibility of crisis, we can plan how to respond. Five potential crisis areas are identified and possible consequences discussed. The areas are the warming of the earth; water shortage; collapse of the physical infrastructure, e.g., decay of roads; global financial crisis; and the threat of nuclear war. (Author/RM)

Dysphagia in the high-risk infant: potential factors and mechanisms123

PubMed Central

Jadcherla, Sudarshan

2016-01-01

Neonatal dysphagia, or abnormalities of swallowing, represent a major global problem, and consequences of dysfunctional feeding patterns carry over into infancy and toddler age groups. Growth, development, and independent feeding skills are all delayed among high-risk infants. Such a group comprises premature birth, low-birth-weight, congenital anomalies, perinatal asphyxia, postsurgical, and sepsis categories. The conflict between pathophysiologic and pragmatic feeding strategies remains a major conundrum and is largely due to a lack of validated diagnostic approaches amid heterogeneity of the patient phenotype. Thus, well-tested feeding management strategies that can be generalizable are lacking. Furthermore, the aerodigestive symptoms and signs, potential risk factors, and contributory etiologies remain nonspecific. This article presents mechanistic evidence related to the pathophysiologic basis of neonatal dysphagia as well as potential opportunities to improve feeding abilities and long-term development. PMID:26791178

A Psychometric Validation of the Internal and External Motivation to Respond without Prejudice toward People with Disabilities Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pruett, Steven R.; Deiches, Jon; Pfaller, Joseph; Moser, Erin; Chan, Fong

2014-01-01

Objective: To determine the factorial validity of the Internal and External Motivation to Respond without Prejudice toward People with Disabilities Scale (D-IMS/EMS). Design: A quantitative descriptive design using factor analysis. Participants: 233 rehabilitation counseling and rehabilitation services students. Results: Both exploratory and…

Characteristics of a gun exchange program, and an assessment of potential benefits

PubMed Central

Romero, M.; Wintemute, G.; Vernick, J.

1998-01-01

Objectives—To describe a gun exchange program and assess potential benefits for participants and host communities. Methods—Mail survey of participants in a Sacramento, California gun exchange program, August 1993; the response rate was 79%. Comparative data were obtained from nationwide polls of gun owners. Results—Most (62%) respondents were men; 40% were more than 55 years old; none was less than 25. Concern that children might find and use the gun was the most frequently cited reason for participating (46% of respondents). Of 141 firearms exchanged, 72% were handguns; 23% of respondents indicated that the guns they turned in were not in working order. Of respondents who owned a gun at the time of the program (rather than those who owned no guns and turned in a gun owned by someone else), 41% owned no guns after participating; the prevalence of handgun ownership declined from 79% to 32%. Those who continued to own guns were as likely as gun owners nationwide to keep a gun loaded in the house (odds ratio (OR) 0.9, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.4 to 1.7) or to carry a gun with them (OR 1.5, 95% CI 0.6 to 3.8). Conclusions—Gun exchange programs may reduce risk for firearm violence among some participants, but a number of factors limit their overall benefits to host communities. PMID:9788092

Analysis of factors controlling sediment phosphorus flux potential of wetlands in Hulun Buir grassland by principal component and path analysis method.

PubMed

He, Jing; Su, Derong; Lv, Shihai; Diao, Zhaoyan; Ye, Shengxing; Zheng, Zhirong

2017-11-08

Phosphorus (P) flux potential can predict the trend of phosphorus release from wetland sediments to water and provide scientific parameters for further monitoring and management for phosphorus flux from wetland sediments to overlying water. Many studies have focused on factors affecting sediment P flux potential in sediment-water interface, but rarely on the relationship among these factors. In the present study, experiment on sediment P flux potential in sediment-water interface was conducted in six wetlands in Hulun Buir grassland, China and the relationships among sediment P flux potential in sediment-water interface, sediment physical properties, and sediment chemical characteristics were examined. Principal component analysis and path analysis were used to discuss these data in correlation coefficient, direct, and indirect effects on sediment P flux potential in sediment-water interface. Results indicated that the major factors affecting sediment P flux potential in sediment-water interface were amount of organophosphate-degradation bacterium in sediment, Ca-P content, and total phosphorus concentrations. The factors of direct influence sediment P flux potential were sediment Ca-P content, Olsen-P content, SOC content, and sediment Al-P content. The indirect influence sediment P flux potential in sediment-water interface was sediment Olsen-P content, sediment SOC content, sediment Ca-P content, and sediment Al-P content. And the standard multiple regression describing the relationship between sediment P flux potential in sediment-water interface and its major effect factors was Y = 5.849 - 1.025X 1  - 1.995X 2  + 0.188X 3  - 0.282X 4 (r = 0.9298, p < 0.01, n = 96), where Y is sediment P flux potential in sediment-water interface, X 1 is sediment Ca-P content, X 2 is sediment Olsen-P content, X 3 is sediment SOC content, and X 4 is sediment Al-P content. Therefore, future research will focus on these sediment properties to analyze the

Development of responder criteria for multicomponent non-pharmacological treatment in fibromyalgia.

PubMed

Vervoort, Vera M; Vriezekolk, Johanna E; van den Ende, Cornelia H

2017-01-01

There is a need to identify individual treatment success in patients with fibromyalgia (FM) who received non-pharmacological treatment. The present study described responder criteria for multicomponent non-pharmacological treatment in FM, and estimated and compared their sensitivity and specificity. Candidate responder sets were 1) identified in literature; and 2) formulated by expert group consensus. All candidate responder sets were tested in a cohort of 129 patients with FM receiving multicomponent non-pharmacological treatment. We used two gold standards (both therapist's and patient's perspective), assessed at six months after the start of treatment. Seven responder sets were defined (three identified in literature and four formulated by expert group consensus), and comprised combinations of domains of 1) pain; 2) fatigue; 3) patient global assessment (PGA); 4) illness perceptions; 5) limitations in activities of daily living (ADL); and 6) sleep. The sensitivity and specificity of literature-based responder sets (n=3) ranged between 17%-99% and 15%-95% respectively, whereas the expert-based responder sets (n=4) performed slightly better with regard to sensitivity (range 41%-81%) and specificity (range 50%-96%). Of the literature-based responder sets the OMERACT-OARSI responder set with patient's gold standard performed best (sensitivity 63%, specificity 75% and ROC area = 0.69). Overall, the expert-based responder set comprising the domains illness perceptions and limitations in ADL with patient's gold standard performed best (sensitivity 47%, specificity 96% and ROC area = 0.71). We defined sets of responder criteria for multicomponent non-pharmacological treatment in fibromyalgia. Further research should focus on the validation of those sets with acceptable performance.

SATURN (Situational Awareness Tool for Urban Responder Networks)

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-07-01

timeline. SATURN is applicable to a broad set of law enforcement, security, and counterterrorism missions typically addressed by urban responders...Keywords-video analytics; sensor fusion; video; urban responders I. INTRODUCTION Urban authorities have a broad set of missions . Duties vary in...both the frequency of occurrence and in the complexity of execution. They include everyday public safety missions such as traffic enforcement as

Bone morphogenetic protein-4 strongly potentiates growth factor-induced proliferation of mammary epithelial cells

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Montesano, Roberto; Sarkoezi, Rita; Schramek, Herbert

2008-09-12

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are multifunctional cytokines that elicit pleiotropic effects on biological processes such as cell proliferation, cell differentiation and tissue morphogenesis. With respect to cell proliferation, BMPs can exert either mitogenic or anti-mitogenic activities, depending on the target cells and their context. Here, we report that in low-density cultures of immortalized mammary epithelial cells, BMP-4 did not stimulate cell proliferation by itself. However, when added in combination with suboptimal concentrations of fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-2, FGF-7, FGF-10, epidermal growth factor (EGF) or hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), BMP-4 potently enhanced growth factor-induced cell proliferation. These results reveal a hithertomore » unsuspected interplay between BMP-4 and growth factors in the regulation of mammary epithelial cell proliferation. We suggest that the ability of BMP-4 to potentiate the mitogenic activity of multiple growth factors may contribute to mammary gland ductal morphogenesis as well as to breast cancer progression.« less

Potentially harmful microalgal distribution in an area of the NW Adriatic coastline: Sampling procedure and correlations with environmental factors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Penna, Antonella; Ingarao, Cristina; Ercolessi, Manuela; Rocchi, Marco; Penna, Nunzio

2006-10-01

In this study, the trend of potentially Harmful Algal (HA) taxa (genera and species), was analysed along a coastal area of the NW Adriatic Sea on a monthly scale. The study included the use of a phytoplankton net for sample collection. The investigation was carried out in four sampling stations characterised by different ecological features. The composition of potentially HA phytoplankton taxa and their succession were related to the environmental factors. The potentially HA group abundance accounted for 8% of all the phytoplankton taxa considered. Multivariate analyses of environmental factors suggested that potentially HA taxa are sensitive to phosphate content: potential DSP-YTX (Diarrhetic Shellfish Poisoning-Yessotoxin) producers were positively correlated with P content ( p = 0.023), while potential ASP (Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning) producers were negatively correlated with P content ( p = 0.006). Phosphorus could be considered to be the limiting factor for phytoplankton taxa density in the NW Adriatic Sea. There was a highly positive correlation between the occurrences of potentially HA taxa and low values of salinity ( p = 0.001 for potential producers of ASP, p = 0.029 for potential DSP-YTX producers). The counting of potential HA dinoflagellates in net samples represented a more accurate estimation of potential HA abundances in the water column making it possible to concentrate a greater number of potential HA dinoflagellate cells by net sampling along the entire water column rather than by sampling only at the surface as in routine monitoring procedures.

First responder tracking and visualization for command and control toolkit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woodley, Robert; Petrov, Plamen; Meisinger, Roger

2010-04-01

In order for First Responder Command and Control personnel to visualize incidents at urban building locations, DHS sponsored a small business research program to develop a tool to visualize 3D building interiors and movement of First Responders on site. 21st Century Systems, Inc. (21CSI), has developed a toolkit called Hierarchical Grid Referenced Normalized Display (HiGRND). HiGRND utilizes three components to provide a full spectrum of visualization tools to the First Responder. First, HiGRND visualizes the structure in 3D. Utilities in the 3D environment allow the user to switch between views (2D floor plans, 3D spatial, evacuation routes, etc.) and manually edit fast changing environments. HiGRND accepts CAD drawings and 3D digital objects and renders these in the 3D space. Second, HiGRND has a First Responder tracker that uses the transponder signals from First Responders to locate them in the virtual space. We use the movements of the First Responder to map the interior of structures. Finally, HiGRND can turn 2D blueprints into 3D objects. The 3D extruder extracts walls, symbols, and text from scanned blueprints to create the 3D mesh of the building. HiGRND increases the situational awareness of First Responders and allows them to make better, faster decisions in critical urban situations.

Finding Respondents from Minority Groups

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mier, Nelda; Medina, Alvaro A.; Bocanegra-Alonso, Anabel; Castillo-Ruiz, Octelina; Acosta-Gonzalez, Rosa I.; Ramirez, Jose A.

2006-01-01

The recruitment of respondents belonging to ethnic minorities poses important challenges in social and health research. This paper reflects on the enablers and barriers to recruitment that we encountered in our research work with persons belonging to ethnic minorities. Additionally, we applied the Matching Model of Recruitment, a theoretical…

Adolescent clavicle nonunions: potential risk factors and surgical management.

PubMed

Pennock, Andrew T; Edmonds, Eric W; Bae, Donald S; Kocher, Mininder S; Li, Ying; Farley, Frances A; Ellis, Henry B; Wilson, Philip L; Nepple, Jeffrey; Gordon, J Eric; Willimon, Samuel C; Busch, Michael T; Spence, David D; Kelly, Derek M; Pandya, Nirav K; Sabatini, Coleen S; Shea, Kevin G; Heyworth, Benton E

2018-01-01

Clavicle nonunions in adolescent patients are exceedingly rare. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a series of clavicle nonunions from a pediatric multicenter study group to assess potential risk factors and treatment outcomes. A retrospective review of all clavicle nonunions in patients younger than 19 years was performed at 9 pediatric hospitals between 2006 and 2016. Demographic and surgical data were documented. Radiographs were evaluated for initial fracture classification, displacement, shortening, angulation, and nonunion type. Clinical outcomes were evaluated, including rate of healing, time to union, return to sports, and complications. Risk factors for nonunion were assessed by comparing the study cohort with a separate cohort of age-matched patients with a diaphyseal clavicle fracture. There were 25 nonunions (mean age, 14.5 years; range, 10.0-18.9 years) identified, all of which underwent surgical fixation. Most fractures were completely displaced (68%) initially, but 21% were partially displaced and 11% were nondisplaced. Bone grafting was performed in 24 of 25 cases, typically using the hypertrophic callus. Radiographic healing was achieved in 96% of cases. One patient (4%) required 2 additional procedures to achieve union. The primary risk factor for development of a nonunion was a previous history of an ipsilateral clavicle fracture. Clavicle nonunions can occur in the adolescent population but are an uncommon clinical entity. The majority occur in male patients with displaced fractures, many of whom have sustained previous fractures of the same clavicle. High rates of union were achieved with plate fixation and the use of bone graft. Copyright © 2017 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sample Size Calculations for Population Size Estimation Studies Using Multiplier Methods With Respondent-Driven Sampling Surveys.

PubMed

Fearon, Elizabeth; Chabata, Sungai T; Thompson, Jennifer A; Cowan, Frances M; Hargreaves, James R

2017-09-14

While guidance exists for obtaining population size estimates using multiplier methods with respondent-driven sampling surveys, we lack specific guidance for making sample size decisions. To guide the design of multiplier method population size estimation studies using respondent-driven sampling surveys to reduce the random error around the estimate obtained. The population size estimate is obtained by dividing the number of individuals receiving a service or the number of unique objects distributed (M) by the proportion of individuals in a representative survey who report receipt of the service or object (P). We have developed an approach to sample size calculation, interpreting methods to estimate the variance around estimates obtained using multiplier methods in conjunction with research into design effects and respondent-driven sampling. We describe an application to estimate the number of female sex workers in Harare, Zimbabwe. There is high variance in estimates. Random error around the size estimate reflects uncertainty from M and P, particularly when the estimate of P in the respondent-driven sampling survey is low. As expected, sample size requirements are higher when the design effect of the survey is assumed to be greater. We suggest a method for investigating the effects of sample size on the precision of a population size estimate obtained using multipler methods and respondent-driven sampling. Uncertainty in the size estimate is high, particularly when P is small, so balancing against other potential sources of bias, we advise researchers to consider longer service attendance reference periods and to distribute more unique objects, which is likely to result in a higher estimate of P in the respondent-driven sampling survey. ©Elizabeth Fearon, Sungai T Chabata, Jennifer A Thompson, Frances M Cowan, James R Hargreaves. Originally published in JMIR Public Health and Surveillance (http://publichealth.jmir.org), 14.09.2017.

Factors influencing behavior guidance: a survey of practicing pediatric dentists.

PubMed

Juntgen, Laura M; Sanders, Brian J; Walker, Laquia A; Jones, James E; Weddell, James A; Tomlin, Angela M; Eckert, George; Maupome, Gerardo

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to identify factors influencing behavior guidance technique utilization among practicing pediatric dentists and explore potential barriers to the incorporation of previously unused techniques. The data for this study were obtained from a web-based survey containing 15 multiple choice questions concerning the practitioners' past, current, and anticipated future behavior guidance technique utilization. Most respondents received hands-on training in 10 of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry behavior guidance techniques. The type of training was associated with the practitioners' level of comfort using a given technique upon graduation and with the current frequency of technique utilization. Residency type impacted hands-on behavior guidance training, with 39 percent of respondents reporting no intravenous sedation training. The type of practice was associated with the frequency of behavior guidance technique utilization, as was graduation decade. Currently practicing dentists cited legal concerns, parental acceptance to change, and limited resources as perceived obstacles in the incorporation of new techniques. Behavior guidance technique selection and utilization among practicing pediatric dentists was influenced by multiple factors, including advanced education training, residency type, graduation decade, and practice type. Obstacles to the incorporation of previously unused techniques appear to be multifactorial.

A New Rhythm for Responding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walsh, Jackie Acree; Sattes, Beth Dankert

2015-01-01

The authors have seen an inspiring phenomenon in certain classrooms--students thinking through their answers to teacher questions, responding thoughtfully to other students' answers, even self-correcting or providing more information after they've answered a teacher aloud. The strategy behind these student actions is a skillful use of "wait…

Relationships Among Attention Networks and Physiological Responding to Threat

PubMed Central

Sarapas, Casey; Weinberg, Anna; Langenecker, Scott A.

2016-01-01

Although researchers have long hypothesized a relationship between attention and anxiety, theoretical and empirical accounts of this relationship have conflicted. We attempted to resolve these conflicts by examining relationships of attentional abilities with responding to predictable and unpredictable threat, related but distinct motivational process implicated in a number of anxiety disorders. Eighty-one individuals completed a behavioral task assessing efficiency of three components of attention – alerting, orienting, and executive control (Attention Network Test - Revised). We also assessed startle responding during anticipation of both predictable, imminent threat (of mild electric shock) and unpredictable contextual threat. Faster alerting and slower disengaging from non-emotional attention cues were related to heightened responding to unpredictable threat, whereas poorer executive control of attention was related to heightened responding to predictable threat. This double dissociation helps to integrate models of attention and anxiety and may be informative for treatment development. PMID:27816781

L-ascorbic acid 2-phosphate and fibroblast growth factor-2 treatment maintains differentiation potential in bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells through expression of hepatocyte growth factor.

PubMed

Bae, Sung Hae; Ryu, Hoon; Rhee, Ki-Jong; Oh, Ji-Eun; Baik, Soon Koo; Shim, Kwang Yong; Kong, Jee Hyun; Hyun, Shin Young; Pack, Hyun Sung; Im, Changjo; Shin, Ha Cheol; Kim, Yong Man; Kim, Hyun Soo; Eom, Young Woo; Lee, Jong In

2015-04-01

l-ascorbic acid 2-phosphate (Asc-2P) acts as an antioxidant and a stimulator of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) production. Previously, we reported that depletion of growth factors such as fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-2, epidermal growth factor (EGF), FGF-4 and HGF during serial passage could induce autophagy, senescence and down-regulation of stemness (proliferation via FGF-2/-4 and differentiation via HGF). In this study, we investigated the proliferation and differentiation potential of BMSCs by FGF-2 and Asc-2P. Co-treatment with FGF-2 and Asc-2P induced optimal proliferation of BMSCs and increased the accumulation rate of BMSC numbers during a 2-month culture period. Moreover, differentiation potential was maintained by co-treatment with FGF-2 and Asc-2P via HGF expression. Adipogenic differentiation potential by FGF-2 and Asc-2P was dramatically suppressed by c-Met inhibitors (SU11274). These data suggest that co-treatment with FGF-2 and Asc-2P would be beneficial in obtaining BMSCs that possess "stemness" during long-term culture.

Influence of potentially confounding factors on sea urchin porewater toxicity tests

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carr, R.S.; Biedenbach, J.M.; Nipper, M.

2006-01-01

The influence of potentially confounding factors has been identified as a concern for interpreting sea urchin porewater toxicity test data. The results from >40 sediment-quality assessment surveys using early-life stages of the sea urchin Arbacia punctulata were compiled and examined to determine acceptable ranges of natural variables such as pH, ammonia, and dissolved organic carbon on the fertilization and embryological development endpoints. In addition, laboratory experiments were also conducted with A. punctulata and compared with information from the literature. Pore water with pH as low as 6.9 is an unlikely contributor to toxicity for the fertilization and embryological development tests with A. punctulata. Other species of sea urchin have narrower pH tolerance ranges. Ammonia is rarely a contributing factor in pore water toxicity tests using the fertilization endpoint, but the embryological development endpoint may be influenced by ammonia concentrations commonly found in porewater samples. Therefore, ammonia needs to be considered when interpreting results for the embryological development test. Humic acid does not affect sea urchin fertilization at saturation concentrations, but it could have an effect on the embryological development endpoint at near-saturation concentrations. There was no correlation between sediment total organic carbon concentrations and porewater dissolved organic carbon concentrations. Because of the potential for many varying substances to activate parthenogenesis in sea urchin eggs, it is recommended that a no-sperm control be included with every fertilization test treatment. ?? 2006 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.

Enabling complex genetic circuits to respond to extrinsic environmental signals.

PubMed

Hoynes-O'Connor, Allison; Shopera, Tatenda; Hinman, Kristina; Creamer, John Philip; Moon, Tae Seok

2017-07-01

Genetic circuits have the potential to improve a broad range of metabolic engineering processes and address a variety of medical and environmental challenges. However, in order to engineer genetic circuits that can meet the needs of these real-world applications, genetic sensors that respond to relevant extrinsic and intrinsic signals must be implemented in complex genetic circuits. In this work, we construct the first AND and NAND gates that respond to temperature and pH, two signals that have relevance in a variety of real-world applications. A previously identified pH-responsive promoter and a temperature-responsive promoter were extracted from the E. coli genome, characterized, and modified to suit the needs of the genetic circuits. These promoters were combined with components of the type III secretion system in Salmonella typhimurium and used to construct a set of AND gates with up to 23-fold change. Next, an antisense RNA was integrated into the circuit architecture to invert the logic of the AND gate and generate a set of NAND gates with up to 1168-fold change. These circuits provide the first demonstration of complex pH- and temperature-responsive genetic circuits, and lay the groundwork for the use of similar circuits in real-world applications. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 1626-1631. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Responding to Bullying: What Works?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Craig, Wendy; Pepler, Debra; Blais, Julie

2007-01-01

Children who are bullied are often told to "solve the problems themselves"; however, when bullying is repeated over time, it becomes increasingly difficult for victimized children to stop the torment because of their relative lack of power. We examine the ways in which children respond to bullying and their evaluations of the…

Responding to Change From Without.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Carroll L.

This paper first discusses similarities between the medical profession and the present status of the education profession. Discussion centers on changes in education in New Mexico generated by external agencies to which colleges are having to respond, as did medical schools in the past. The New Mexico State Department of Education developed the…

78 FR 57621 - First Responder Network Authority Board Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-19

... Network Authority Board Meeting AGENCY: National Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. ACTION: Notice of special meeting of the First Responder Network Authority. SUMMARY: The Board of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) will hold a Special Board meeting via...

78 FR 5422 - First Responder Network Authority Board Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-25

... Network Authority Board Meeting AGENCY: National Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S... information regarding the public meeting of the Board of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) to... confidential, to discuss personnel matters, or to discuss legal matters affecting the First Responder Network...

78 FR 72667 - First Responder Network Authority Board Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-03

... Network Authority Board Meeting AGENCY: National Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. ACTION: Notice of Open Public Meeting of the First Responder Network Authority. SUMMARY: The Board of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) will convene an open public meeting...

49 CFR 630.7 - Failure to respond to questions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 49 Transportation 7 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Failure to respond to questions. 630.7 Section 630.7 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NATIONAL TRANSIT DATABASE § 630.7 Failure to respond to questions...

49 CFR 630.7 - Failure to respond to questions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Failure to respond to questions. 630.7 Section 630.7 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NATIONAL TRANSIT DATABASE § 630.7 Failure to respond to questions...

49 CFR 630.7 - Failure to respond to questions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 49 Transportation 7 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Failure to respond to questions. 630.7 Section 630.7 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NATIONAL TRANSIT DATABASE § 630.7 Failure to respond to questions...

49 CFR 630.7 - Failure to respond to questions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 49 Transportation 7 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Failure to respond to questions. 630.7 Section 630.7 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NATIONAL TRANSIT DATABASE § 630.7 Failure to respond to questions...

49 CFR 630.7 - Failure to respond to questions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 49 Transportation 7 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Failure to respond to questions. 630.7 Section 630.7 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NATIONAL TRANSIT DATABASE § 630.7 Failure to respond to questions...

Statistical power and optimal design in experiments in which samples of participants respond to samples of stimuli.

PubMed

Westfall, Jacob; Kenny, David A; Judd, Charles M

2014-10-01

Researchers designing experiments in which a sample of participants responds to a sample of stimuli are faced with difficult questions about optimal study design. The conventional procedures of statistical power analysis fail to provide appropriate answers to these questions because they are based on statistical models in which stimuli are not assumed to be a source of random variation in the data, models that are inappropriate for experiments involving crossed random factors of participants and stimuli. In this article, we present new methods of power analysis for designs with crossed random factors, and we give detailed, practical guidance to psychology researchers planning experiments in which a sample of participants responds to a sample of stimuli. We extensively examine 5 commonly used experimental designs, describe how to estimate statistical power in each, and provide power analysis results based on a reasonable set of default parameter values. We then develop general conclusions and formulate rules of thumb concerning the optimal design of experiments in which a sample of participants responds to a sample of stimuli. We show that in crossed designs, statistical power typically does not approach unity as the number of participants goes to infinity but instead approaches a maximum attainable power value that is possibly small, depending on the stimulus sample. We also consider the statistical merits of designs involving multiple stimulus blocks. Finally, we provide a simple and flexible Web-based power application to aid researchers in planning studies with samples of stimuli.

The sea surface currents as a potential factor in the estimation and monitoring of wave energy potential

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zodiatis, George; Galanis, George; Nikolaidis, Andreas; Stylianoy, Stavros; Liakatas, Aristotelis

2015-04-01

The use of wave energy as an alternative renewable is receiving attention the last years under the shadow of the economic crisis in Europe and in the light of the promising corresponding potential especially for countries with extended coastline. Monitoring and studying the corresponding resources is further supported by a number of critical advantages of wave energy compared to other renewable forms, like the reduced variability and the easier adaptation to the general grid, especially when is jointly approached with wind power. Within the framework, a number of countries worldwide have launched research and development projects and a significant number of corresponding studies have been presented the last decades. However, in most of them the impact of wave-sea surface currents interaction on the wave energy potential has not been taken into account neglecting in this way a factor of potential importance. The present work aims at filling this gap for a sea area with increased scientific and economic interest, the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Based on a combination of high resolution numerical modeling approach with advanced statistical tools, a detailed analysis is proposed for the quantification of the impact of sea surface currents, which produced from downscaling the MyOcean-FO regional data, to wave energy potential. The results although spatially sensitive, as expected, prove beyond any doubt that the wave- sea surface currents interaction should be taken into account for similar resource analysis and site selection approaches since the percentage of impact to the available wave power may reach or even exceed 20% at selected areas.

Interaction in the Research Interview and Drug-Related Disclosures among Respondents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Myers, Vincent

1979-01-01

Interviewers and respondents judged interview interactions during a survey of drug-related sentiments. Pronounced variability in interviewer-respondent judgements occurred in unanticipated ways related to gender, role, and ethnicity of participants. Positive interaction yielded different respondent cognitions and reports of illicit drug ingestion…

Analysis of major risk factors affecting those working in the agrarian sector (based on a sociological survey).

PubMed

Krekoten, Olena M; Dereziuk, Anatolii V; Ihnaschuk, Olena V; Holovchanska, Svitlana E

Issues related to labour potential, its state and problems have consistently been a focus of attention for the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Its respective analysis shows that labour potential problems remain unresolved in many countries of the world. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), adverse working conditions are among major factors of occupational disease development in Europe and the reason for disabilities of economically active population during 2.5% of their lifetime. The aim of the present study is to identify and analyse major risk factors, which have a bearing on people working in agriculture in the course of exercising their occupation, with account of forms of ownership of agricultural enterprises. Carried out was a cross-sectional study involving a sociological survey of 412 respondents - those working in agriculture - who made up the primary group and the control group. The study revealed 21 risk factors, 9 of which were work-related. A modified elementary cybernetic model of studying impact efficiency was developed with the view of carrying out a structural analysis of the sample group and choosing relevant methodological approaches. It has been established that harmful factors related to working environment and one's lifestyle are decisive in the agrarian sector, particularly for workers of privately owned businesses. For one out of three respondents harmful working conditions manifested themselves as industrial noise (31.7±3.4), vibration (29.0±2.1) trunk bending and constrained working posture (36.6±3.4). The vast majority of agricultural workers (91.6±2.5) admitted they could not afford proper rest during their annual leave; male respondents abused alcohol (70.6±3.0) and smoking (41.4±2.0 per 100 workers). The research established the structure of risk factors, which is sequentially represented by the following groups: behavioral (smoking, drinking of alcohol, rest during annual leave, physical culture), working

Analysis of TLR7, SOCS1 and ISG15 immune genes expression in the peripheral blood of responder and non-responder patients with chronic Hepatitis C

PubMed Central

Dowran, Razieh; Sarvari, Jamal; Moattari, Afagh; Fattahi, Mohammad-Reza; Ramezani, Amin; Hosseini, Seyed Younes

2017-01-01

Aim: To evaluate the baseline expression of the immune genes in PBMCs of responder and non-responder patients with chronic Hepatitis C. Background: Although the contribution of peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) gene expression in treatment outcome of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is supposed, it has remained to be distinctly delineated. The baseline expression of the immune genes inside PBMCs may reflect the responsiveness status following IFN treatment. Methods: Totally, 22 chronic HCV encompasses 10 responders and 12 non-responsive cases enrolled randomly regarding medical records. The PBMCs from the peripheral blood samples were isolated and then incubated for 6 hours in the culture media. The baseline expression of TLR7, SOCS1 and ISG15 was measured by Real time PCR. Results: The gene expression pattern in PBMCs of both groups showed a similar trend. The expression of SOCS1 and TLR7 genes showed higher levels in non-responder group (P>0.05). The result of ISG15 showed a higher but non-significant expression in the responder group (P>0.05). Conclusion: The similar pattern of TLR7, SOCS1 and ISG15 expression in the responder and non-responder patients indicated their poor discriminating and predictive value in PBMCs sample. PMID:29379591

Redding Responder phase I final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2005-12-19

The Redding Responder Study was initiated as a component of the Redding Incident : Management Enhancement (RIME) Program. The goals of the RIME program are to leverage : technology and communications deployments for emergency communication providers ...

Conceptual and methodological challenges to measuring political commitment to respond to HIV

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Researchers have long recognized the importance of a central government’s political “commitment” in order to mount an effective response to HIV. The concept of political commitment remains ill-defined, however, and little guidance has been given on how to measure this construct and its relationship with HIV-related outcomes. Several countries have experienced declines in HIV infection rates, but conceptual difficulties arise in linking these declines to political commitment as opposed to underlying social and behavioural factors. Methods This paper first presents a critical review of the literature on existing efforts to conceptualize and measure political commitment to respond to HIV and the linkages between political commitment and HIV-related outcomes. Based on the elements identified in this review, the paper then develops and presents a framework to assist researchers in making choices about how to assess a government's level of political commitment to respond to HIV and how to link political commitment to HIV-related outcomes. Results The review of existing studies identifies three components of commitment (expressed, institutional and budgetary commitment) as different dimensions along which commitment can be measured. The review also identifies normative and ideological aspects of commitment and a set of variables that mediate and moderate political commitment that need to be accounted for in order to draw valid inferences about the relationship between political commitment and HIV-related outcomes. The framework summarizes a set of steps that researchers can follow in order to assess a government's level of commitment to respond to HIV and suggests ways to apply the framework to country cases. Conclusions Whereas existing studies have adopted a limited and often ambiguous conception of political commitment, we argue that conceiving of political commitment along a greater number of dimensions will allow researchers to draw a more complete

Relationships among attention networks and physiological responding to threat.

PubMed

Sarapas, Casey; Weinberg, Anna; Langenecker, Scott A; Shankman, Stewart A

2017-02-01

Although researchers have long hypothesized a relationship between attention and anxiety, theoretical and empirical accounts of this relationship have conflicted. We attempted to resolve these conflicts by examining relationships of attentional abilities with responding to predictable and unpredictable threat - related but distinct motivational process implicated in a number of anxiety disorders. Eighty-one individuals completed a behavioral task assessing efficiency of three components of attention - alerting, orienting, and executive control (Attention Network Test - Revised). We also assessed startle responding during anticipation of both predictable, imminent threat (of mild electric shock) and unpredictable contextual threat. Faster alerting and slower disengaging from non-emotional attention cues were related to heightened responding to unpredictable threat, whereas poorer executive control of attention was related to heightened responding to predictable threat. This double dissociation helps to integrate models of attention and anxiety and may be informative for treatment development. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Moral anger, but not moral disgust, responds to intentionality.

PubMed

Russell, Pascale Sophie; Giner-Sorolla, Roger

2011-04-01

We propose that, when people judge moral situations, anger responds to the contextual cues of harm and intentionality. On the other hand, disgust responds uniquely to whether or not a bodily norm violation has occurred; its apparent response to harm and intent is entirely explained by the coactivation of anger. We manipulated intent, harm, and bodily norm violation (eating human flesh) within a vignette describing a scientific experiment. Participants then rated their anger, disgust, and moral judgment, as well as various appraisals. Anger responded independently of disgust to harm and intentionality, whereas disgust responded independently of anger only to whether or not the act violated the bodily norm of cannibalism. Theoretically relevant appraisals accounted for the effects of harm and intent on anger; however, appraisals of abnormality did not fully account for the effects of the manipulations on disgust. Our results show that anger and disgust are separately elicited by different cues in a moral situation. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved.

The acquisition of conditioned responding.

PubMed

Harris, Justin A

2011-04-01

This report analyzes the acquisition of conditioned responses in rats trained in a magazine approach paradigm. Following the suggestion by Gallistel, Fairhurst, and Balsam (2004), Weibull functions were fitted to the trial-by-trial response rates of individual rats. These showed that the emergence of responding was often delayed, after which the response rate would increase relatively gradually across trials. The fit of the Weibull function to the behavioral data of each rat was equaled by that of a cumulative exponential function incorporating a response threshold. Thus, the growth in conditioning strength on each trial can be modeled by the derivative of the exponential--a difference term of the form used in many models of associative learning (e.g., Rescorla & Wagner, 1972). Further analyses, comparing the acquisition of responding with a continuously reinforced stimulus (CRf) and a partially reinforced stimulus (PRf), provided further evidence in support of the difference term. In conclusion, the results are consistent with conventional models that describe learning as the growth of associative strength, incremented on each trial by an error-correction process.

The Influence of Agreeableness and Ego Depletion on Emotional Responding.

PubMed

Finley, Anna J; Crowell, Adrienne L; Harmon-Jones, Eddie; Schmeichel, Brandon J

2017-10-01

Agreeable individuals report more intense withdrawal-oriented negative emotions across aversive situations. Two studies tested the hypothesis that self-regulatory depletion (i.e., ego depletion) moderates the relationship between trait Agreeableness and negative emotional responding. Ego depletion was manipulated using a writing task. Emotional responding was measured with startle eye-blink responses (Study 1, N = 71) and self-reported valence, arousal, and empathic concern (Study 2, N = 256) during emotional picture viewing. Trait Agreeableness was measured using a questionnaire. In Study 1, Agreeableness predicted especially large startle responses during aversive images and especially small startles during appetitive images. After exercising self-control, the relationship between startle magnitudes and Agreeableness decreased. In Study 2, Agreeableness predicted more empathic concern for aversive images, which in turn predicted heightened self-reported negative emotions. After exercising self-control, the relationship between Agreeableness and empathic concern decreased. Agreeable individuals exhibit heightened negative emotional responding. Ego depletion reduced the link between Agreeableness and negative emotional responding in Study 1 and moderated the indirect effect of Agreeableness on negative emotional responding via empathic concern in Study 2. Empathic concern appears to be a resource-intensive process underlying heightened responding to aversive stimuli among agreeable persons. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Turnover and Associated Factors in Asian Foreign-Educated Nurses.

PubMed

Geun, Hyo Geun; Redman, Richard W; McCullagh, Marjorie C

2016-05-01

The purposes of this study are to (1) describe the gap between expected and perceived organizational experiences among Asian foreign-educated nurses (FENs) in the United States and (2) to examine factors associated with turnover in their 1st year of employment. Little is known about factors associated with turnover among Asian FENs. A cross-sectional design with a convenience sampling was conducted. Subjects (n = 201) responded either via Web-based or mail survey. A series of simple and multivariable logistic regressions were used. Expectations of FENs before organizational entry were significantly higher than their experiences. The FENs who reported less organizational responsibility than expected were more likely to leave their 1st employment to move to another organization or unit. This study may contribute to our understanding of the potential factors that assist or interfere with the organization's administrative retention plan for Asian FENs.

The moderating role of socially desirable responding in implicit-explicit attitudes toward asylum seekers.

PubMed

Anderson, Joel R

2017-07-04

Implicit and explicit attitudes correlate under certain conditions and researchers are interested in the moderating factors of this relationship. This paper explored the role of socially desirable responding in this relationship by testing the hypothesis that impression management (IM; i.e., deliberate response modification) and self-deceptive enhancement (SDE; i.e., positive self-bias) play moderating roles in the relationship of implicit-explicit attitudes toward asylum seekers in Australia. Seventy-four students responded to a battery of measures and the results revealed that IM (but not SDE) moderated this relationship to the extent that higher IM scores weakened the correspondence between implicit and explicit attitude scores. This suggests that attitudes toward asylum seekers might be susceptible to socially desirable response tendencies and in combination with the finding that IM was negatively related to explicit attitudes, it is argued that self-presentation concerns result in the deliberate attenuation of reported negative explicit attitudes. © 2017 International Union of Psychological Science.

Effects of lorcaserin (Belviq®) on nicotine- and food-maintained responding in non-human primates.

PubMed

Jacobs, David S; Barkin, Claire E; Kohut, Michelle R; Bergman, Jack; Kohut, Stephen J

2017-12-01

Accumulating evidence suggests that the FDA-approved serotonin 5-HT 2C receptor agonist, lorcaserin (Belviq ® ), may be a promising candidate for the management of substance use disorders, including nicotine addiction. The present study was conducted to determine the efficacy and selectivity of acute or continuous lorcaserin treatment for decreasing the reinforcing effects of nicotine in a primate species. Adult rhesus monkeys (n=4) with a history of nicotine self-administration (>2years) responded for injections of nicotine (0.32-100μg/kg IV) or food pellets under a fixed-ratio schedule of reinforcement during daily 100-min sessions. When responding was stable, lorcaserin was administered either as an acute pretreatment (0.1-1.0mg/kg, IM) or by continuous infusion (0.1mg/kg/hr, SC for 3-5days). Daily activity patterns were also monitored immediately following experimental sessions. Results indicate that acute lorcaserin pretreatment produced significant and dose-dependent decreases in nicotine-maintained responding across a >100-fold range of self-administered nicotine doses. Continuous lorcaserin treatment decreased intake of 10μg/kg/inj nicotine to about 50% of baseline values. Food-maintained responding was only moderately decreased in 3 of 4 subjects after acute administration and unaffected in all subjects during continuous treatment. Daily activity also was significantly decreased-to ≤50% of control values-following experimental sessions in which acute lorcaserin was administered. These data indicate that lorcaserin reduces IV self-administration of nicotine at a dose that decreases motoric activity but less consistently disrupts food-maintained responding. Further research into lorcaserin's potential utility for the management of nicotine dependence is warranted. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

What is the Main Potential Factor Influencing Ocular Protrusion?

PubMed

Li, Yinwei; Su, Yun; Song, Xuefei; Zhou, Huifang; Fan, Xianqun

2017-01-05

BACKGROUND The aim of the present study was to establish the normal-range orbital parameters and to explore the relationships between ocular protrusion and various orbital morphological factors. MATERIAL AND METHODS A retrospective, non-comparative case series was conducted from January 2014 to December 2015. We recruited 56 subjects (112 orbits), including 27 males (21 to 87 years of age) and 29 females (22 to 88 years of age) in this study. Nine length measurements, 2 angle measurements, and 2 volume measurements of various aspects of the orbit were obtained using Mimics v18.0 software. The data were collected manually using a 3D measurement technique. Statistical analyses using t tests and Pearson's correlation analyses were performed to evaluate the differences and relationships between the parameters, respectively. RESULTS Ocular protrusion in both sexes was closely related to the following values: orbital soft tissue volume (OSTV) (males: r=0.61, p<0.001; females: r=0.39, p=0.003), orbital soft tissue volume/bony orbital volume (OSTV/BOV) (males: r=0.90, p<0.001; females: r=0.87, p<0.001), orbital width (males: r=0.40, p=0.003; females: r=0.53, p<0.001), orbital height (males: r=0.29, p=0.038; females: r=0.45, p<0.001), and globe diameter (males: r=0.52, p<0.001; females: r=0.48, p<0.001). No differences were found between the right and left orbits. CONCLUSIONS The study provides insight into the potential factors that influence ocular protrusion, which include the OSTV/BOV ratio, the shape of the orbital aperture, and the ocular axial length. The results of orbital surgery can be made more predictable by accounting for these 3 factors. The database and regression formula might provide support for surgical planning in the future.

Identifying Careless Responding With the Psychopathic Personality Inventory-Revised Validity Scales.

PubMed

Marcus, David K; Church, Abere Sawaqdeh; O'Connell, Debra; Lilienfeld, Scott O

2018-01-01

The Psychopathic Personality Inventory-Revised (PPI-R) includes validity scales that assess Deviant Responding (DR), Virtuous Responding, and Inconsistent Responding. We examined the utility of these scales for identifying careless responding using data from two online studies that examined correlates of psychopathy in college students (Sample 1: N = 583; Sample 2: N = 454). Compared with those below the cut scores, those above the cut on the DR scale yielded consistently lower validity coefficients when PPI-R scores were correlated with corresponding scales from the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure. The other three PPI-R validity scales yielded weaker and less consistent results. Participants who completed the studies in an inordinately brief amount of time scored significantly higher on the DR and Virtuous Responding scales than other participants. Based on the findings from the current studies, researchers collecting PPI-R data online should consider identifying and perhaps screening out respondents with elevated scores on the DR scale.

Transforming Higher Education in the Information Age: Presidents Respond.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Breslin, Richard D.; And Others

1991-01-01

College presidents respond to an article by Richard Nolan challenging college and university presidents and chancellors to transform their campuses for survival and competitive advantage in the information age. Respondents include Richard D. Breslin, David M. Clarke, Joseph Cronin, Thomas Ehrlich, Donald N. Langenberg, Harold McAninch, and Donald…

Fearing shades of grey: individual differences in fear responding towards generalisation stimuli.

PubMed

Arnaudova, Inna; Krypotos, Angelos-Miltiadis; Effting, Marieke; Kindt, Merel; Beckers, Tom

2017-09-01

Individual differences in fear generalisation have been proposed to play a role in the aetiology and/or maintenance of anxiety disorders, but few data are available to directly support that claim. The research that is available has focused mostly on generalisation of peripheral and central physiological fear responses. Far less is known about the generalisation of avoidance, the behavioural component of fear. In two experiments, we evaluated how neuroticism, a known vulnerability factor for anxiety, modulates an array of fear responses, including avoidance tendencies, towards generalisation stimuli (GS). Participants underwent differential fear conditioning, in which one conditioned stimulus (CS+) was repeatedly paired with an aversive outcome (shock; unconditioned stimulus, US), whereas another was not (CS-). Fear generalisation was observed across measures in Experiment 1 (US expectancy and evaluative ratings) and Experiment 2 (US expectancy, evaluative ratings, skin conductance, startle responses, safety behaviours), with overall highest responding to the CS+, lowest to the CS- and intermediate responding to the GSs. Neuroticism had very little impact on fear generalisation (but did affect GS recognition rates in Experiment 1), in line with the idea that fear generalisation is largely an adaptive process.

Comparing continuous and dichotomous scoring of the balanced inventory of desirable responding.

PubMed

Stöber, Joachim; Dette, Dorothea E; Musch, Jochen

2002-04-01

The Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding (BIDR; Paulhus, 1994) is a widely used instrument to measure the 2 components of social desirability: self-deceptive enhancement and impression management. With respect to scoring of the BIDR, Paulhus (1994) authorized 2 methods, namely continuous scoring (all answers on the continuous answer scale are counted) and dichotomous scoring (only extreme answers are counted). In this article, we report 3 studies with student samples, and continuous and dichotomous scoring of BIDR subscales are compared with respect to reliability, convergent validity, sensitivity to instructional variations, and correlations with personality. Across studies, the scores from continuous scoring (continuous scores) showed higher Cronbach's alphas than those from dichotomous scoring (dichotomous scores). Moreover, continuous scores showed higher convergent correlations with other measures of social desirability and more consistent effects with self-presentation instructions (fake-good vs. fake-bad instructions). Finally, continuous self-deceptive enhancement scores showed higher correlations with those traits of the Five-factor model for which substantial correlations were expected (i.e., Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Conscientiousness). Consequently, these findings indicate that continuous scoring may be preferable to dichotomous scoring when assessing socially desirable responding with the BIDR.

Viral hepatitis in female sex workers using the Respondent-Driven Sampling

PubMed Central

de Matos, Marcos André; França, Divânia Dias da Silva; Carneiro, Megmar Aparecida dos Santos; Martins, Regina Maria Bringel; Kerr, Lígia Regina Franco Sansigolo; Caetano, Karlla Antonieta Amorim; Pinheiro, Raquel Silva; de Araújo, Lyriane Apolinário; Mota, Rosa Maria Salani; de Matos, Marcia Alves Dias; Motta-Castro, Ana Rita Coimbra; Teles, Sheila Araújo

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To estimate the prevalence of hepatitis B virus and C virus infections and their genotypes and analyze the risk factors for the markers of exposure to hepatitis B virus in female sex workers in a region of intense sex trade. METHODS This is a cross-sectional study performed with four hundred and two female sex workers in Goiânia, Brazil. Data have been collected using the Respondent-Driven Sampling. The women have been interviewed and tested for markers of hepatitis B and C viruses. Positive samples have been genotyped. The data have been analyzed using the Respondent-Driven Sampling Analysis Tool, version 5.3, and Stata 11.0. RESULTS The adjusted prevalence for hepatitis B virus and C virus were 17.1% (95%CI 11.6–23.4) and 0.7% (95%CI 0.1–1.5), respectively. Only 28% (95%CI 21.1–36.4) of the participants had serological evidence of vaccination against hepatitis B virus. Being older (> 40 years), being single, having a history of blood transfusion and use of cocaine, and ignoring the symptoms of sexually transmitted infections were associated with positivity for hepatitis B virus (p < 0.05). We have detected the subgenotype A1 of hepatitis B virus (n = 3) and the subtypes of hepatitis C virus 1a (n = 3) and 1b (n = 1). CONCLUSIONS We can observe a low prevalence of infection of hepatitis B and C viruses in the studied population. However, the findings of the analysis of the risk factors show the need for more investment in prevention programs for sexual and drug-related behavior, as well as more efforts to vaccinate this population against hepatitis B. The genotypes of the hepatitis B virus and C virus identified are consistent with those circulating in Brazil. PMID:28678904

Primate dental ecology: How teeth respond to the environment.

PubMed

Cuozzo, Frank P; Ungar, Peter S; Sauther, Michelle L

2012-06-01

Teeth are central for the study of ecology, as teeth are at the direct interface between an organism and its environment. Recent years have witnessed a rapid growth in the use of teeth to understand a broad range of topics in living and fossil primate biology. This in part reflects new techniques for assessing ways in which teeth respond to, and interact with, an organism's environment. Long-term studies of wild primate populations that integrate dental analyses have also provided a new context for understanding primate interactions with their environments. These new techniques and long-term field studies have allowed the development of a new perspective-dental ecology. We define dental ecology as the broad study of how teeth respond to, or interact with, the environment. This includes identifying patterns of dental pathology and tooth use-wear, as they reflect feeding ecology, behavior, and habitat variation, including areas impacted by anthropogenic disturbance, and how dental development can reflect environmental change and/or stress. The dental ecology approach, built on collaboration between dental experts and ecologists, holds the potential to provide an important theoretical and practical framework for inferring ecology and behavior of fossil forms, for assessing environmental change in living populations, and for understanding ways in which habitat impacts primate growth and development. This symposium issue brings together experts on dental morphology, growth and development, tooth wear and health, primate ecology, and paleontology, to explore the broad application of dental ecology to questions of how living and fossil primates interact with their environments. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Aviation human factors research in US universities: Potential contributions to national needs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dismukes, R. Key

1994-01-01

Universities can and should make vital contributions to national needs in aviation human factors. However, to guide and utilize university research effectively we must understand what types of expertise and facilities universities can bring to bear on aviation problems. We should be aware of where relevant research is already underway and where untapped potential exists. How does the character of research in universities differ from and complement research in government and industry laboratories? What conditions would encourage universities to focus on national priorities and would promote high quality, relevant research? This paper attempts to address these issues. It is based on a survey conducted by the author, which included site visits to several universities, telephone interviews with faculty members at other universities, and a search of the aviation human factors research literature.

The Proton Pump Inhibitor Non-Responder: A Clinical Conundrum

PubMed Central

Hussain, Zilla H; Henderson, Emily E; Maradey-Romerao, Carla; George, Nina; Fass, Ronnie; Lacy, Brian E

2015-01-01

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a highly prevalent chronic condition where in stomach contents reflux into the esophagus causing symptoms, esophageal injury, and subsequent complications. Proton pump inhibitors (PPI) remain the mainstay of therapy for acid suppression. Despite their efficacy, significant proportions of GERD patients are either partial or non-responders to PPI therapy. Patients should be assessed for mechanisms that can lead to PPI failure and may require further evaluation to investigate for alternative causes. This monograph will outline a diagnostic approach to the PPI non-responder, review mechanisms associated with PPI failure, and discuss therapeutic options for those who fail to respond to PPI therapy. PMID:26270485

6 CFR 5.4 - Responsibility for responding to requests.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 6 Domestic Security 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Responsibility for responding to requests. 5.4 Section 5.4 Domestic Security DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY DISCLOSURE OF RECORDS AND INFORMATION Freedom of Information Act § 5.4 Responsibility for responding to requests. (a) In...

Inactivation of the Prelimbic Cortex Attenuates Context-Dependent Operant Responding

PubMed Central

Shipman, Megan L.; Bouton, Mark E.

2017-01-01

Operant responding in rats provides an analog to voluntary behavior in humans and is used to study maladaptive behaviors, such as overeating, drug taking, or relapse. In renewal paradigms, extinguished behavior recovers when tested outside the context where extinction was learned. Inactivation of the prelimbic (PL) region of the medial prefrontal cortex by baclofen/muscimol (B/M) during testing attenuates renewal when tested in the original acquisition context after extinction in another context (ABA renewal). Two experiments tested the hypothesis that the PL is important in context-dependent responding learned during conditioning. In the first, rats learned to lever-press for a sucrose-pellet reward. Following acquisition, animals were infused with either B/M or vehicle in the PL and tested in the acquisition context (A) and in a different context (B). All rats showed a decrement in responding when switched from Context A to Context B, but PL inactivation decreased responding only in Context A. Experiment 2a examined the effects of PL inactivation on ABC renewal in the same rats. Here, following reacquisition of the response, responding was extinguished in a new context (C). Following infusions of B/M or vehicle in the PL, responding was tested in Context C and another new context (D). The rats exhibited ACD renewal regardless of PL inactivation. Experiment 2b demonstrated that PL inactivation attenuated the ABA renewal effect in the same animals, replicating earlier results and demonstrating that cannulae were still functional. The results suggest that, rather than attenuating renewal generally, PL inactivation specifically affects ABA renewal by reducing responding in the conditioning context. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Extinguished operant behavior can recover (“renew”) when tested outside the extinction context. This suggests that behaviors, such as overeating or drug taking, might be especially prone to relapse following treatment. In rats, inactivation of

In their own words: Reports of stigma and genetic discrimination by people at risk for Huntington disease in the International RESPOND-HD study

PubMed Central

Williams, Janet K; Erwin, Cheryl; Juhl, Andrew R; Mengeling, Michelle; Bombard, Yvonne; Hayden, Michael R; Quaid, Kimberly; Shoulson, Ira; Taylor, Sandra; Paulsen, Jane S

2011-01-01

Genetic discrimination may be experienced in the day-to-day lives of people at risk for Huntington Disease (HD), encompassing occurrences in the workplace, when seeking insurance, within social relationships, and during other daily encounters. At-risk individuals who have tested either positive or negative for the genetic expansion that causes HD, as well as at-risk persons with a 50% chance for developing the disorder but have not had DNA testing completed the International RESPOND-HD (I-RESPOND-HD) survey. One of the study’s purposes was to examine perceptions of genetic stigmatization and discrimination. A total of 412 out of 433 participants provided narrative comments, and 191 provided related codable narrative data. The core theme, Information Control, refers to organizational policies and interpersonal actions. This theme was found in narrative comments describing genetic discrimination perceptions across employment, insurance, social, and other situations. These reports were elaborated with five themes: What they encountered, What they felt, What others did, What they did, and What happened. Although many perceptions were coded as hurtful, this was not true in all instances. Findings document that reports of genetic discrimination are highly individual, and both policy as well as interpersonal factors contribute to the outcome of potentially discriminating events. PMID:20468062

In their own words: reports of stigma and genetic discrimination by people at risk for Huntington disease in the International RESPOND-HD study.

PubMed

Williams, Janet K; Erwin, Cheryl; Juhl, Andrew R; Mengeling, Michelle; Bombard, Yvonne; Hayden, Michael R; Quaid, Kimberly; Shoulson, Ira; Taylor, Sandra; Paulsen, Jane S

2010-09-01

Genetic discrimination may be experienced in the day-to-day lives of people at risk for Huntington disease (HD), encompassing occurrences in the workplace, when seeking insurance, within social relationships, and during other daily encounters. At-risk individuals who have tested either positive or negative for the genetic expansion that causes HD, as well as at-risk persons with a 50% chance for developing the disorder but have not had DNA testing completed the International RESPOND-HD (I-RESPOND-HD) survey. One of the study's purposes was to examine perceptions of genetic stigmatization and discrimination. A total of 412 out of 433 participants provided narrative comments, and 191 provided related codable narrative data. The core theme, Information Control, refers to organizational policies and interpersonal actions. This theme was found in narrative comments describing genetic discrimination perceptions across employment, insurance, social, and other situations. These reports were elaborated with five themes: What They Encountered, What They Felt, What Others Did, What They Did, and What Happened. Although many perceptions were coded as hurtful, this was not true in all instances. Findings document that reports of genetic discrimination are highly individual, and both policy as well as interpersonal factors contribute to the outcome of potentially discriminating events. (c) 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Understanding Transcription Factor Regulation by Integrating Gene Expression and DNase I Hypersensitive Sites.

PubMed

Wang, Guohua; Wang, Fang; Huang, Qian; Li, Yu; Liu, Yunlong; Wang, Yadong

2015-01-01

Transcription factors are proteins that bind to DNA sequences to regulate gene transcription. The transcription factor binding sites are short DNA sequences (5-20 bp long) specifically bound by one or more transcription factors. The identification of transcription factor binding sites and prediction of their function continue to be challenging problems in computational biology. In this study, by integrating the DNase I hypersensitive sites with known position weight matrices in the TRANSFAC database, the transcription factor binding sites in gene regulatory region are identified. Based on the global gene expression patterns in cervical cancer HeLaS3 cell and HelaS3-ifnα4h cell (interferon treatment on HeLaS3 cell for 4 hours), we present a model-based computational approach to predict a set of transcription factors that potentially cause such differential gene expression. Significantly, 6 out 10 predicted functional factors, including IRF, IRF-2, IRF-9, IRF-1 and IRF-3, ICSBP, belong to interferon regulatory factor family and upregulate the gene expression levels responding to the interferon treatment. Another factor, ISGF-3, is also a transcriptional activator induced by interferon alpha. Using the different transcription factor binding sites selected criteria, the prediction result of our model is consistent. Our model demonstrated the potential to computationally identify the functional transcription factors in gene regulation.

Identification and assessment of potential water quality impact factors for drinking-water reservoirs.

PubMed

Gu, Qing; Deng, Jinsong; Wang, Ke; Lin, Yi; Li, Jun; Gan, Muye; Ma, Ligang; Hong, Yang

2014-06-10

Various reservoirs have been serving as the most important drinking water sources in Zhejiang Province, China, due to the uneven distribution of precipitation and severe river pollution. Unfortunately, rapid urbanization and industrialization have been continuously challenging the water quality of the drinking-water reservoirs. The identification and assessment of potential impacts is indispensable in water resource management and protection. This study investigates the drinking water reservoirs in Zhejiang Province to better understand the potential impact on water quality. Altogether seventy-three typical drinking reservoirs in Zhejiang Province encompassing various water storage levels were selected and evaluated. Using fifty-two reservoirs as training samples, the classification and regression tree (CART) method and sixteen comprehensive variables, including six sub-sets (land use, population, socio-economy, geographical features, inherent characteristics, and climate), were adopted to establish a decision-making model for identifying and assessing their potential impacts on drinking-water quality. The water quality class of the remaining twenty-one reservoirs was then predicted and tested based on the decision-making model, resulting in a water quality class attribution accuracy of 81.0%. Based on the decision rules and quantitative importance of the independent variables, industrial emissions was identified as the most important factor influencing the water quality of reservoirs; land use and human habitation also had a substantial impact on water quality. The results of this study provide insights into the factors impacting the water quality of reservoirs as well as basic information for protecting reservoir water resources.

Making myself understood: perceived factors affecting the intelligibility of sung text

PubMed Central

Fine, Philip A.; Ginsborg, Jane

2014-01-01

Singing is universal, and understanding sung words is thought to be important for many listeners’ enjoyment of vocal and choral music. However, this is not a trivial task, and sung text intelligibility is probably affected by many factors. A survey of musicians was undertaken to identify the factors believed to have most impact on intelligibility, and to assess the importance of understanding sung words in familiar and unfamiliar languages. A total of 143 professional and amateur musicians, including singers, singing teachers, and regular listeners to vocal music, provided 394 statements yielding 851 references to one or more of 43 discrete factors in four categories: performer-related, listener-related, environment-related and words/music-related. The factors mentioned most frequently in each of the four categories were, respectively: diction; hearing ability; acoustic; and genre. In more than a third of references, the extent to which sung text is intelligible was attributed to the performer. Over 60% of respondents rated the ability to understand words in familiar languages as “very important,” but only 17% when the text was in an unfamiliar language. Professional musicians (47% of the sample) rated the importance of understanding in both familiar and unfamiliar languages significantly higher than amateurs but listed fewer factors overall and fewer listener-related factors. The more important the respondents rated understanding, the more performer-related and environment-related factors they tended to list. There were no significant differences between the responses of those who teach singing and those who do not. Enhancing sung text intelligibility is thus perceived to be within the singer’s control, at least to some extent, but there are also many factors outside their control. Empirical research is needed to explore some of these factors in greater depth, and has the potential to inform pedagogy for singers, composers, and choral directors. PMID

Traffic control procedures for emergency responders.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-10-01

The objective of this study was to develop a training course and handbook to guide on-scene emergency responders responsible for controlling traffic during a roadway crash and subsequent clearance. : Traffic control is an essential component of incid...

Training Law Enforcement Officials on Responding to Equine Calls

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Kathleen P.; Stauffer, Gary; Stauffer, Monte; Anderson, Doug; Biodrowski, Kristie

2016-01-01

The occurrence of equine abuse/neglect cases is an ongoing issue. However, officials responding to equine cases are rarely experienced in handling horses. Therefore, workshops teaching basic horse husbandry were offered to better equip and prepare officials to respond to equine cases. Trainings consisted of both classroom and hands-on sessions.…

The Relation of Perceived and Received Social Support to Mental Health among First Responders: A Meta-Analytic Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prati, Gabriele; Pietrantoni, Luca

2010-01-01

There are plenty of theories that may support the protective role of social support in the aftermath of potentially traumatic events. This meta-analytic review examined the role of received and perceived social support in promoting mental health among first responders (e.g., firefighters, police officers, and paramedics or emergency medical…

An Investigation of the Effects of Opportunities to Respond and Intelligence on Sight Word Retention Using Incremental Rehearsal

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Kade Ryan

2012-01-01

High opportunities to respond (OTR) have been touted as being a key factor in a popular and effective drill procedure called incremental rehearsal (IR). However, IR has also been criticized because it takes more instructional time than other drill procedures and can be less time efficient. The current study compared the effectiveness and…

The Influence of Respondent Characteristics on the Validity of Self-Reported Survey Responses.

PubMed

Guerard, Barbara; Omachonu, Vincent; Harvey, Raymond A; Hernandez, S Robert; Sen, Bisakha

2016-06-01

To examine concordance between member self-reports and the organization's administrative claims data for two key health factors: number of chronic conditions, and number of prescription drugs. Medicare Advantage plan claims data and member survey data from 2011 to 2012. Mailed surveys to 15,000 members, enrolled minimum 6 months, drawn from a random sample of primary care physician practices with at least 200 members. Descriptive statistics were generated for extent of concordance. Multivariable logistic regressions were used to analyze the association of selected respondent characteristics with likelihood of concordance. Concordance for number of chronic conditions was 58.4 percent, with 27.3 percent under-reporting, 14.2 percent over-reporting. Concordance for number of prescription drugs was 56.6 percent with 38.9 percent under-reporting, 4.5 percent over-reporting. Number of prescriptions and assistance in survey completion were associated with higher likelihood of concordance for chronic conditions. Assistance in survey completion and number of chronic conditions were associated with higher concordance, and age and number of prescriptions were associated with lower concordance, for prescription drugs. Self-reported number of chronic conditions and prescription medications are not in high concordance with claims data. Health care researchers and policy makers using patient self-reported data should be aware of these potential biases. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

Correlation between Novel Potential Indoor Risk Factors and Frequency of Doctor's Visit for Respiratory Problem in Taiwan's Tropical Environment.

PubMed

Wang, Yu-Hao; Su, Hsing-Hao; Hsu, Lan; Wang, Chung-Yang; Wu, Pi-Hsiung

2018-01-01

With a global rising trend in prevalence of allergic diseases, more attention has been paid to investigation of environmental risk factors. Many risk factors have so far been identified. However, novel risk factors specific to Taiwanese environment and lifestyle were still relatively unknown. To investigate the potential effects of a number of little-known indoor risk factors on the frequency of doctor's visit for respiratory problems in context of Taiwanese environment and lifestyle. A cross-sectional, population-based study was performed on a 861 participants around Kaohsiung area, Taiwan. Survey investigation was employed to assess the household environment and the frequency of doctor's visit for respiratory problems. Participants who performed "daily cleaning" was shown to have a significantly (p=0.007) higher mean number of doctor's visits in comparison to those who did not. Similar observation was made for participants who periodically took out beddings (p=0.042). Age had a significant positive correlation (linear regression β 0.089) with frequency of respiratory problems. The habit of daily cleaning was implicated as a potential indoor risk factor due to the unique nature of Taiwanese cleaning habit and close contact with cleaning supplies, which could serve as chemical irritants. Bedding takeout was predicted to be an indicator of chronic allergies rather than an actual risk factor. However, both were controversial in their role as potential indoor risk factor, and required further examination.

Constipation in community-dwelling elders: prevalence and associated factors.

PubMed

Song, Hyo Jeong

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to measure the prevalence of constipation in community-dwelling elders and to analyze associated factors. The study sample comprised 186 elders from 5 Senior Citizen Centers in Jeju-si. This community-based cross-sectional study used a structured questionnaire to collect data via interviews with respondents. Interviews were completed by the principal investigator and an assistant. Interviews required approximately 20 minutes and were completed in the senior centers. Respondents were queried about demographic characteristics, body mass index, alcohol consumption, level of exercise, depression, and lower urinary tract symptoms including urinary incontinence. Bowel elimination symptoms were queried, and the presence of constipation was established using Rome II criteria. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to test for associations between potential risk factors and constipation. The prevalence of constipation in this community-dwelling sample population was 25.8%. The most common symptoms were "hard or lumpy stools" reported by 30.8% and "straining during a bowel movement" reported by 27.1%. Analysis via logistic regression found that constipation is associated with lower urinary tract symptoms (odds ratio = 1.1; 95% confidence interval: 1.03-1.14) and obesity (body mass index ≥ 25 kg/m) (odds ratio = 2.4; 95% confidence interval: 1.01-5.57). Slightly more than one quarter of the elderly reported symptoms of constipation. Associated factors were presence of lower urinary tract symptoms and obesity.

Liquefaction potential of Nile delta, Egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fergany, Elsayed; Omar, Khaled

2017-06-01

Understanding how sedimentary basins respond to seismic-wave energy generated by earthquake events is a significant concern for seismic-hazard estimation and risk analysis. The main goal of this study is assessing the vulnerability index, Kg, as an indicator for liquefaction potential sites in the Nile delta basin based on the microtremor measurements. Horizontal to Vertical spectral ratio analyses (HVSR) of ambient noise data, which was conducted in 2006 at 120 sites covering the Nile delta from south to north were reprocessed using Geopsy software. HVSR factors of amplification, A, and fundamental frequency, F, were calculated and Kg was estimated for each measurement. The Kg value varies widely from south toward north delta and the potential liquefaction places were estimated. The higher vulnerability indices are associated with sites located in southern part of the Nile delta and close to the branches of Nile River. The HVSR factors were correlated with geologic setting of the Nile delta and show good correlations with the sediment thickness and subsurface stratigraphic boundaries. However, we note that sites located in areas that have greatest percentage of sand also yielded relatively high Kg values with respect to sites in areas where clay is abundant. We concluded that any earthquake with ground acceleration more than 50 gal at hard rock can cause a perceived deformation of sandy sediments and liquefaction can take place in the weak zones of Kg ≥ 20. The worst potential liquefaction zones (Kg > 30) are frequently joined to the Damietta and Rosetta Nile River branches and south Delta where relatively coarser sand exists. The HVSR technique is a very sensitive tool for lithological stratigraphy variations in two dimensions and varying liquefaction susceptibility.

Meta-Analysis and Inadequate Responders to Intervention: A Reply

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swanson, H. Lee

2012-01-01

A meta-analysis by Tran, Sanchez, Arellano, and Swanson (2011) of the published RTI literature found that the magnitude of effect size (ES) between responders and low responders at posttest was significantly moderated by the pretest ES and the type of dependent measure administered, whereas no significant moderating effects were found in the mixed…

Responding to families with complex needs: a national survey of child and family health nurses.

PubMed

Rossiter, Chris; Schmied, Virginia; Kemp, Lynn; Fowler, Cathrine; Kruske, Sue; Homer, Caroline S E

2017-02-01

The aim of this study was to explore the extent to which Australian child and family health nurses work with families with complex needs and how their practice responds to the needs of these families. Many families with young children face challenges to their parenting capacity, potentially placing their children at risk of poorer developmental outcomes. Nurses increasingly work with families with mental health problems, trauma histories and/or substance dependence. Universal child health services must respond effectively to these challenges, to address health inequalities and to promote the best outcomes for all children and families. The descriptive study used cross-sectional data from the first national survey of child and family health nurses in Australia, conducted during 2011. Survey data reported how often, where and how child and family health nurses worked with families with complex needs and their confidence in nursing tasks. Many, but not all, of the 679 respondents saw families with complex needs in their regular weekly caseload. Child and family health nurses with diverse and complex caseloads reported using varied approaches to support their clients. They often undertook additional professional development and leadership roles compared with nurses who reported less complex caseloads. Most respondents reported high levels of professional confidence. For health services providing universal support and early intervention for families at risk, the findings underscore the importance of appropriate education, training and support for child and family health professionals. The findings can inform the organization and delivery of services for families in Australia and internationally. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Immunotherapy, an evolving approach for the management of triple negative breast cancer: Converting non-responders to responders.

PubMed

Tolba, Mai F; Omar, Hany A

2018-02-01

Immunotherapy comprises a promising new era in cancer therapy. Immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting either the programmed death (PD)-1 receptor or its ligand PD-L1 were first approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the management of metastatic melanoma in 2011. The approval of this class is being extended to include other types of immunogenic tumors. Although breast cancer (BC) was first categorized as non-immunogenic tumor type, there are certain subsets of BC that showed a high level of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). Those subsets include the triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) and HER-2 positive breast tumors. Preliminary data from clinical trials presented promising outcomes for patients with advanced stage/metastatic TNBC. While the objective response rate (ORR) was relatively low, it is still promising because of the observation that the patients who respond to the treatment with immune checkpoint blockade have favorable prognosis and often show a significant increase in the overall survival. Therefore, the main challenge is to find ways to enhance the tumor response to such therapy and to convert the non-responders to responders. This will consequently bring new hopes for patients with advanced stage metastatic TNBC and help to decrease death tolls from this devastating disease. In the current review, we are highlighting and discussing the up-to-date strategies adopted at either the preclinical or the clinical settings to enhance tumor responsiveness to immunotherapy. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sleep deprivation and adverse health effects in United States Coast Guard responders to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

PubMed

Bergan, Timothy; Thomas, Dana; Schwartz, Erica; McKibben, Jodi; Rusiecki, Jennifer

2015-12-01

Disaster responders are increasingly called upon to assist in various natural and manmade disasters. A critical safety concern for this population is sleep deprivation; however, there are limited published data regarding sleep deprivation and disaster responder safety. We expanded upon a cross-sectional study of 2695 United States Coast Guard personnel who responded to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Data were collected via survey on self-reported timing and location of deployment, missions performed, health effects, medical treatment sought, average nightly sleep, and other lifestyle variables. We created a 4-level sleep deprivation metric based on both average nightly reported sleep (d5hours; >5hours) and length of deployment (d2weeks; >2weeks) to examine the association between sustained sleep deprivation and illnesses, injuries, and symptoms using logistic regression to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals. The strongest, statistically significant positive ORs for the highest sleep deprivation category compared with the least sleep-deprived category were for mental health and neurologic effects, specifically depression (OR=6.76), difficulty concentrating (OR=8.33), and confusion (OR=11.34), and for dehydration (OR=9.0). Injuries most strongly associated with sleep deprivation were twists, sprains, and strains (OR=6.20). Most health outcomes evaluated had monotonically increasing ORs with increasing sleep deprivation, and P tests for trend were statistically significant. Agencies deploying disaster responders should understand the risks incurred to their personnel by sustained sleep deprivation. Improved planning of response efforts to disasters can reduce the potential for sleep deprivation and lead to decreased morbidity in disaster responders. Published by Elsevier Inc.

EIA responds to Nature article on shale gas projections

EIA Publications

2014-01-01

EIA has responded to a December 4, 2014 Nature article on projections of shale gas production made by EIA and by the Bureau of Economic Geology of the University of Texas at Austin (BEG/UT) with a letter to the editors of Nature. BEG/UT has also responded to the article in their own letter to the editor.

40 CFR 1515.9 - Extending CEQ's time to respond.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 33 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Extending CEQ's time to respond. 1515... ACT PROCEDURES Procedures for Requesting Records § 1515.9 Extending CEQ's time to respond. (a) In... request (§§ 1515.6(a) and 1515.8(d)) may be extended by the Council for not more than 10 working days...

40 CFR 1515.9 - Extending CEQ's time to respond.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 34 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Extending CEQ's time to respond. 1515... ACT PROCEDURES Procedures for Requesting Records § 1515.9 Extending CEQ's time to respond. (a) In... request (§§ 1515.6(a) and 1515.8(d)) may be extended by the Council for not more than 10 working days...

40 CFR 1515.9 - Extending CEQ's time to respond.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 33 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Extending CEQ's time to respond. 1515... ACT PROCEDURES Procedures for Requesting Records § 1515.9 Extending CEQ's time to respond. (a) In... request (§§ 1515.6(a) and 1515.8(d)) may be extended by the Council for not more than 10 working days...

40 CFR 1515.9 - Extending CEQ's time to respond.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 34 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Extending CEQ's time to respond. 1515... ACT PROCEDURES Procedures for Requesting Records § 1515.9 Extending CEQ's time to respond. (a) In... request (§§ 1515.6(a) and 1515.8(d)) may be extended by the Council for not more than 10 working days...

Software Assists in Responding to Anomalous Conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

James, Mark; Kronbert, F.; Weiner, A.; Morgan, T.; Stroozas, B.; Girouard, F.; Hopkins, A.; Wong, L.; Kneubuhl, J.; Malina, R.

2004-01-01

Fault Induced Document Retrieval Officer (FIDO) is a computer program that reduces the need for a large and costly team of engineers and/or technicians to monitor the state of a spacecraft and associated ground systems and respond to anomalies. FIDO includes artificial-intelligence components that imitate the reasoning of human experts with reference to a knowledge base of rules that represent failure modes and to a database of engineering documentation. These components act together to give an unskilled operator instantaneous expert assistance and access to information that can enable resolution of most anomalies, without the need for highly paid experts. FIDO provides a system state summary (a configurable engineering summary) and documentation for diagnosis of a potentially failing component that might have caused a given error message or anomaly. FIDO also enables high-level browsing of documentation by use of an interface indexed to the particular error message. The collection of available documents includes information on operations and associated procedures, engineering problem reports, documentation of components, and engineering drawings. FIDO also affords a capability for combining information on the state of ground systems with detailed, hierarchically-organized, hypertext- enabled documentation.

"Business Ethics Everywhere": An Experiential Exercise to Develop Students' Ability to Identify and Respond to Ethical Issues in Business

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Susan D.; Comer, Debra R.

2012-01-01

This article introduces an experiential exercise that enhances students' ability to identify ethical issues and to respond to them in ways that consider the relationship between organizational factors and ethical action. Students identify a required number of ethical incidents in their workplaces during a specified period. Students submit a…

Effective bichromatic potential for ultra-high Q-factor photonic crystal slab cavities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Alpeggiani, Filippo, E-mail: filippo.alpeggiani01@ateneopv.it; Andreani, Lucio Claudio; Gerace, Dario

2015-12-28

We introduce a confinement mechanism in photonic crystal slab cavities, which relies on the superposition of two incommensurate one-dimensional lattices in a line-defect waveguide. It is shown that the resulting photonic profile realizes an effective quasi-periodic bichromatic potential for the electromagnetic field confinement yielding extremely high quality (Q) factor nanocavities, while simultaneously keeping the mode volume close to the diffraction limit. We apply these concepts to pillar- and hole-based photonic crystal slab cavities, respectively, and a Q-factor improvement by over an order of magnitude is shown over existing designs, especially in pillar-based structures. Thanks to the generality and easy adaptationmore » of such confinement mechanism to a broad class of cavity designs and photonic lattices, this work opens interesting routes for applications where enhanced light–matter interaction in photonic crystal structures is required.« less

Factors Associated with HIV Viral Load in a Respondent Driven Sample in Los Angeles

PubMed Central

King, WD; Larkins, S; Hucks-Ortiz, C; Wang, J; Gorbach, P; Veniegas, R; Shoptaw, S

2008-01-01

This study used a modified version of the Behavioral Model for Vulnerable Populations to examine the predisposing, enabling, and need factors associated with detectable viral load (VL). HIV status was measured using saliva and confirmed by blood. Of 835 persons enrolled, 193 were HIV positive and provided VL counts. A multistage logistic regression demonstrated that the predisposing factors of homelessness and recent substance abuse, particularly methamphetamine abuse, had a negative association with VL. The negative association of homelessness was lessened with the introduction of enabling and need utilization factors in the model. In contrast, the negative association with recent substance abuse on VL was sustained in the final model. Provision of HIV care and medications attenuated the negative association of homelessness within this sample. Guided policy to address substance abuse among those who are HIV positive is needed to improve biological outcomes. PMID:18064555

Capacity of old trees to respond to environmental change.

PubMed

Phillips, Nathan G; Buckley, Thomas N; Tissue, David T

2008-11-01

Atmospheric carbon dioxide [CO2] has increased dramatically within the current life spans of long-lived trees and old forests. Consider that a 500-year-old tree in the early twenty-first century has spent 70% of its life growing under pre-industrial levels of [CO2], which were 30% lower than current levels. Here we address the question of whether old trees have already responded to the rapid rise in [CO2] occurring over the past 150 years. In spite of limited data, aging trees have been shown to possess a substantial capacity for increased net growth after a period of post-maturity growth decline. Observations of renewed growth and physiological function in old trees have, in some instances, coincided with Industrial Age increases in key environmental resources, including [CO2], suggesting the potential for continued growth in old trees as a function of continued global climate change.

Ozone dosing alters the biological potential and therapeutic outcomes of plasma rich in growth factors.

PubMed

Anitua, E; Zalduendo, M M; Troya, M; Orive, G

2015-04-01

Until now, ozone has been used in a rather empirical way. This in-vitro study investigates, for the first time, whether different ozone treatments of plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF) alter the biological properties and outcomes of this autologous platelet-rich plasma. Human plasma rich in growth factors was treated with ozone using one of the following protocols: a continuous-flow method; or a syringe method in which constant volumes of ozone and PRGF were mixed. In both cases, ozone was added before, during and after the addition of calcium chloride. Three ozone concentrations, of the therapeutic range 20, 40 and 80 μg/mL, were tested. Fibrin clot properties, growth factor content and the proliferative effect on primary osteoblasts and gingival fibroblasts were evaluated. Ozone treatment of PRGF using the continuous flow protocol impaired formation of the fibrin scaffold, drastically reduced the levels of growth factors and significantly decreased the proliferative potential of PRGF on primary osteoblasts and gingival fibroblasts. In contrast, treatment of PRGF with ozone using the syringe method, before, during and after the coagulation process, did not alter the biological outcomes of the autologous therapy. These findings suggest that ozone dose and the way that ozone combines with PRGF may alter the biological potential and therapeutic outcomes of PRGF. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

ABO blood grouping: A potential risk factor for early childhood caries - A cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Govindaraju, Lavanya; Jeevanandan, Ganesh; Subramanian, E M G

2018-01-01

The paradigm of etiology of early childhood caries (ECC) is shifting toward genetics. Of various inherited factors, blood group of an individual is genetically determined. The aim of the study is to determine if blood group of an individual will serve as a potential risk factor in the development of ECC. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Chennai. Blood samples were collected from a total of 500 children <71 months of age for determination of the blood group. Of which 96 children (24 per blood group) were randomly selected and were included in the study. Oral screening of the selected children was done by a pediatric dentist who was blinded to the blood group of the children. Decayed, extracted, and filling index was noted. Details on other associated factors for the development of ECC such as the socioeconomic status, oral hygiene measures, diet, and feeding practices were collected by directly interviewing the parents through a questionnaire. Statistical analysis was done using Chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis test and post hoc Tukey test with significance level set at 0.05. Intergroup analysis of the associated factors showed no significant differences between the children of different blood groups. A statistically significant relation was noted between the blood groups and development of ECC (P = 0.025). Blood group is a potential risk indicator for the development of ECC.

Medial Orbitofrontal Cortex Mediates Effort-related Responding in Rats.

PubMed

Münster, Alexandra; Hauber, Wolfgang

2017-11-17

The medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC) is known to support flexible control of goal-directed behavior. However, limited evidence suggests that the mOFC also mediates the ability of organisms to work with vigor towards a selected goal, a hypothesis that received little consideration to date. Here we show that excitotoxic mOFC lesion increased responding under a progressive ratio (PR) schedule of reinforcement, that is, the highest ratio achieved, and increased the preference for the high effort-high reward option in an effort-related decision-making task, but left intact outcome-selective Pavlovian-instrumental transfer and outcome-specific devaluation. Moreover, pharmacological inhibition of the mOFC increased, while pharmacological stimulation reduced PR responding. In addition, pharmacological mOFC stimulation attenuated methylphenidate-induced increase of PR responding. Intact rats tested for PR responding displayed higher numbers of c-Fos positive mOFC neurons than appropriate controls; however, mOFC neurons projecting to the nucleus accumbens did not show a selective increase in neuronal activation implying that they may not play a major role in regulating PR responding. Collectively, these results suggest that the mOFC plays a major role in mediating effort-related motivational functions. Moreover, our data demonstrate for the first time that the mOFC modulates effort-related effects of psychostimulant drugs. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Shotgun Proteomic Analysis of Plasma from Dairy Cattle Suffering from Footrot: Characterization of Potential Disease-Associated Factors

PubMed Central

Sun, Dongbo; Zhang, Hong; Guo, Donghua; Sun, Anguo; Wang, Hongbin

2013-01-01

The plasma proteome of healthy dairy cattle and those with footrot was investigated using a shotgun LC-MS/MS approach. In total, 648 proteins were identified in healthy plasma samples, of which 234 were non-redundant proteins and 123 were high-confidence proteins; 712 proteins were identified from footrot plasma samples, of which 272 were non-redundant proteins and 138 were high-confidence proteins. The high-confidence proteins showed significant differences between healthy and footrot plasma samples in molecular weight, isoelectric points and the Gene Ontology categories. 22 proteins were found that may differentiate between the two sets of plasma proteins, of which 16 potential differential expression (PDE) proteins from footrot plasma involved in immunoglobulins, innate immune recognition molecules, acute phase proteins, regulatory proteins, and cell adhesion and cytoskeletal proteins; 6 PDE proteins from healthy plasma involved in regulatory proteins, cytoskeletal proteins and coagulation factors. Of these PDE proteins, haptoglobin, SERPINA10 protein, afamin precursor, haptoglobin precursor, apolipoprotein D, predicted peptidoglycan recognition protein L (PGRP-L) and keratan sulfate proteoglycan (KS-PG) were suggested to be potential footrot-associated factors. The PDE proteins PGRP-L and KS-PG were highlighted as potential biomarkers of footrot in cattle. The resulting protein lists and potential differentially expressed proteins may provide valuable information to increase understanding of plasma protein profiles in cattle and to assist studies of footrot-associated factors. PMID:23418487

Exploring how sand ramps respond to Quaternary environmental change in Southern Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rowell, Alex; Thomas, David; Bailey, Richard

2014-05-01

The current climate of southern Africa is particularly complex and interesting due to the interaction of several climatic systems. However, reconstructions of how these systems behaved in the past, and how the environment responded, have been hampered by a general paucity of records and poor chronological control. Sand ramps may provide the potential to improve palaeoenvironmental reconstructions of southern Africa (and beyond). Formed against a topographic barrier, sand ramps include a combination of aeolian, fluvial and colluvial deposits in varying proportions. Therefore, they have the potential to record changes in moisture availability, circulation patterns and sediment supply which can be independently dated using luminescence dating. Nevertheless relatively little attention has been paid to these features and thus the environmental controls on their formation are not yet fully understood. In particular, there is debate as to whether they reflect deposition during a 'window of opportunity' in which high-magnitude, low-frequency events are recorded (Bateman et al. 2012) or whether they record more gradual, cyclic climate change (Bertram, 2003) or even if there is a uniform control on their formation. This research aims to investigate how sand ramps respond to environmental change and what they can tell us about the paleoenvironment of southern Africa. This poster displays preliminary results based on initial field investigation. This confirmed sand ramps to be ubiquitous in southern Africa and that they record a complex interaction of aeolian, fluvial and colluvial deposits which appears to differ between sand ramps. Preliminary luminescence dating results and sedimentology are displayed for two sand ramps, one from south west Namibia the other from the Karoo region of South Africa.

Freeze or flee? Negative stimuli elicit selective responding.

PubMed

Estes, Zachary; Verges, Michelle

2008-08-01

Humans preferentially attend to negative stimuli. A consequence of this automatic vigilance for negative valence is that negative words elicit slower responses than neutral or positive words on a host of cognitive tasks. Some researchers have speculated that negative stimuli elicit a general suppression of motor activity, akin to the freezing response exhibited by animals under threat. Alternatively, we suggest that negative stimuli only elicit slowed responding on tasks for which stimulus valence is irrelevant for responding. To discriminate between these motor suppression and response-relevance hypotheses, we elicited both lexical decisions and valence judgments of negative words and positive words. Relative to positive words (e.g., kitten), negative words (e.g., spider) elicited slower lexical decisions but faster valence judgments. Results therefore indicate that negative stimuli do not cause a generalized motor suppression. Rather, negative stimuli elicit selective responding, with faster responses on tasks for which stimulus valence is response-relevant.

RESPONDENT-DRIVEN SAMPLING AS MARKOV CHAIN MONTE CARLO

PubMed Central

GOEL, SHARAD; SALGANIK, MATTHEW J.

2013-01-01

Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) is a recently introduced, and now widely used, technique for estimating disease prevalence in hidden populations. RDS data are collected through a snowball mechanism, in which current sample members recruit future sample members. In this paper we present respondent-driven sampling as Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) importance sampling, and we examine the effects of community structure and the recruitment procedure on the variance of RDS estimates. Past work has assumed that the variance of RDS estimates is primarily affected by segregation between healthy and infected individuals. We examine an illustrative model to show that this is not necessarily the case, and that bottlenecks anywhere in the networks can substantially affect estimates. We also show that variance is inflated by a common design feature in which sample members are encouraged to recruit multiple future sample members. The paper concludes with suggestions for implementing and evaluating respondent-driven sampling studies. PMID:19572381

North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) ignore ships but respond to alerting stimuli.

PubMed Central

Nowacek, Douglas P.; Johnson, Mark P.; Tyack, Peter L.

2004-01-01

North Atlantic right whales were extensively hunted during the whaling era and have not recovered. One of the primary factors inhibiting their recovery is anthropogenic mortality caused by ship strikes. To assess risk factors involved in ship strikes, we used a multi-sensor acoustic recording tag to measure the responses of whales to passing ships and experimentally tested their responses to controlled sound exposures, which included recordings of ship noise, the social sounds of conspecifics and a signal designed to alert the whales. The whales reacted strongly to the alert signal, they reacted mildly to the social sounds of conspecifics, but they showed no such responses to the sounds of approaching vessels as well as actual vessels. Whales responded to the alert by swimming strongly to the surface, a response likely to increase rather than decrease the risk of collision. PMID:15058431

Piloting a real-time surface water flood nowcasting system for enhancing operational resilience of emergency responders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Dapeng; Guan, Mingfu; Wilby, Robert; Bruce, Wright; Szegner, Mark

2017-04-01

Emergency services (such as Fire & Rescue, and Ambulance) can face the challenging tasks of having to respond to or operate under extreme and fast changing weather conditions, including surface water flooding. UK-wide, return period based surface water flood risk mapping undertaken by the Environment Agency provides useful information about areas at risks. Although these maps are useful for planning purposes for emergency responders, their utility to operational response during flood emergencies can be limited. A street-level, high resolution, real-time, surface water flood nowcasting system, has been piloted in the City of Leicester, UK to assess emergency response resilience to surface water flooding. Precipitation nowcasting over 7- and 48-hour horizons are obtained from the UK Met Office and used as inputs to the system. A hydro-inundation model is used to simulate urban surface water flood depths/areas at both the city and basin scale, with a 20 m and 3 m spatial resolution respectively, and a 15-minute temporal resolution, 7-hour and 48-hour in advance. Based on this, we evaluate both the direct and indirect impacts of potential surface water flood events on emergency responses, including: (i) identifying vulnerable populations (e.g. care homes and schools) at risk; and (ii) generating novel metrics of accessibility (e.g. travel time from service stations to vulnerable sites; spatial coverage with certain legislative timeframes) in real-time. In doing so, real-time information on potential risks and impacts of emerging flood incidents arising from intense rainfall can be communicated via a dedicated web-based platform to emergency responders thereby improving response times and operational resilience.

Inactivation of the Prelimbic Cortex Attenuates Context-Dependent Operant Responding.

PubMed

Trask, Sydney; Shipman, Megan L; Green, John T; Bouton, Mark E

2017-03-01

Operant responding in rats provides an analog to voluntary behavior in humans and is used to study maladaptive behaviors, such as overeating, drug taking, or relapse. In renewal paradigms, extinguished behavior recovers when tested outside the context where extinction was learned. Inactivation of the prelimbic (PL) region of the medial prefrontal cortex by baclofen/muscimol (B/M) during testing attenuates renewal when tested in the original acquisition context after extinction in another context (ABA renewal). Two experiments tested the hypothesis that the PL is important in context-dependent responding learned during conditioning. In the first, rats learned to lever-press for a sucrose-pellet reward. Following acquisition, animals were infused with either B/M or vehicle in the PL and tested in the acquisition context (A) and in a different context (B). All rats showed a decrement in responding when switched from Context A to Context B, but PL inactivation decreased responding only in Context A. Experiment 2a examined the effects of PL inactivation on ABC renewal in the same rats. Here, following reacquisition of the response, responding was extinguished in a new context (C). Following infusions of B/M or vehicle in the PL, responding was tested in Context C and another new context (D). The rats exhibited ACD renewal regardless of PL inactivation. Experiment 2b demonstrated that PL inactivation attenuated the ABA renewal effect in the same animals, replicating earlier results and demonstrating that cannulae were still functional. The results suggest that, rather than attenuating renewal generally, PL inactivation specifically affects ABA renewal by reducing responding in the conditioning context. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Extinguished operant behavior can recover ("renew") when tested outside the extinction context. This suggests that behaviors, such as overeating or drug taking, might be especially prone to relapse following treatment. In rats, inactivation of the

Factors associated with potentially harmful antibiotic prescription during pregnancy: a population-based study.

PubMed

Lee, Yichen; Chen, Chuchieh; Chu, Dachen; Ko, Mingchung

2016-04-01

Inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions during pregnancy may adversely affect the fetus. There were few studies on factors associated with antibiotic prescriptions potentially harmful to the fetus. This was a population-based cross-sectional study using data from National Health Insurance Research Database. We calculated the frequency of antibiotic prescription according to the status of pregnancy, type of infections, characteristics of patients, doctors and medical institutions. According to the British National Formulary, sulfonamides, trimethoprim, tetracycline and quinolones were classified as antibiotics potentially harmful to the fetus. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the independent effect of various characteristic on antibiotic prescriptions, during pregnancy, potentially harmful to the fetus. Among the 19 464 pregnant subjects, 6554 (33.67%) received antibiotic prescriptions during pregnancy. Antibiotic prescriptions potentially harmful to the fetus accounted for 6.31% of all antibiotic prescriptions during pregnancy. Pregnant women aged <20 years, in their first trimester, and who were presenting with urogenital infections had the highest risks of receiving antibiotic prescriptions potentially harmful to the fetus. Non-gynaecologists, doctors aged 39-49 or ≥50 years, and doctors at clinics had higher risks of prescribing antibiotics potentially harmful to the fetus. Measures to improve the quality of practices should include efforts to increase awareness of antibiotic prescription guidelines for the treatment of infections in the pregnant population. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Parental exposure to mass violence and child mental health: the First Responder and WTC Evacuee Study.

PubMed

Hoven, Christina W; Duarte, Cristiane S; Wu, Ping; Doan, Thao; Singh, Navya; Mandell, Donald J; Bin, Fan; Teichman, Yona; Teichman, Meir; Wicks, Judith; Musa, George; Cohen, Patricia

2009-06-01

Children's reactions after being exposed to mass violence may be influenced by a spectrum of factors. Relatively unexplored is the extent to which family exposure to mass violence may affect child mental health, even when these children have not been directly exposed. In a representative sample of NYC public school children assessed 6 months after the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center (WTC), seemingly elevated rates of psychopathology were recorded among children of WTC evacuees. Children of NYC First Responders (police officers, EMTs, and fire fighters) displayed a complex pattern of response to the WTC attack. Overall, the findings from this previous study support putative transmission of trauma to children whose parents were exposed to the WTC attack. The "Children of First Responder and WTC Evacuee Study"-a two-site longitudinal study-is currently underway in the United States (New York City) and in Israel (Tel Aviv area) in an effort to understand the impact of different patterns of mass violence. The NYC sample permits us to examine the impact of a rare instance of mass violence (e.g., WTC attack), while the Israeli sample provides information about repeated and frequent exposure to mass violence brought about by acts of terrorism. In addition, children's exposure to mass violence is considered in the context of their exposure to other potentially traumatic events. This study aims to improve our general understanding of the impact of mass violence on children, especially the psychological effects on children whose parents' work experiences are by nature stressful. Knowledge generated by this study has implications for guiding efforts to meet the needs of children who have, directly or through a family member, been subjected to rare or infrequent mass violent event as well as to children whose exposure to mass violence is part of daily life.

Parental Exposure to Mass Violence and Child Mental Health: The First Responder and WTC Evacuee Study

PubMed Central

Duarte, Cristiane S.; Wu, Ping; Doan, Thao; Singh, Navya; Mandell, Donald J.; Bin, Fan; Teichman, Yona; Teichman, Meir; Wicks, Judith; Musa, George; Cohen, Patricia

2014-01-01

Children’s reactions after being exposed to mass violence may be influenced by a spectrum of factors. Relatively unexplored is the extent to which family exposure to mass violence may affect child mental health, even when these children have not been directly exposed. In a representative sample of NYC public school children assessed 6 months after the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center (WTC), seemingly elevated rates of psychopathology were recorded among children of WTC evacuees. Children of NYC First Responders (police officers, EMTs, and fire fighters) displayed a complex pattern of response to the WTC attack. Overall, the findings from this previous study support putative transmission of trauma to children whose parents were exposed to the WTC attack. The “Children of First Responder and WTC Evacuee Study”—a two-site longitudinal study—is currently underway in the United States (New York City) and in Israel (Tel Aviv area) in an effort to understand the impact of different patterns of mass violence. The NYC sample permits us to examine the impact of a rare instance of mass violence (e.g., WTC attack), while the Israeli sample provides information about repeated and frequent exposure to mass violence brought about by acts of terrorism. In addition, children’s exposure to mass violence is considered in the context of their exposure to other potentially traumatic events. This study aims to improve our general understanding of the impact of mass violence on children, especially the psychological effects on children whose parents’ work experiences are by nature stressful. Knowledge generated by this study has implications for guiding efforts to meet the needs of children who have, directly or through a family member, been subjected to rare or infrequent mass violent event as well as to children whose exposure to mass violence is part of daily life. PMID:19484384

The role of angiogenic factors in fibroid pathogenesis: potential implications for future therapy

PubMed Central

Tal, Reshef; Segars, James H.

2014-01-01

Background It is well established that tumors are dependent on angiogenesis for their growth and survival. Although uterine fibroids are known to be benign tumors with reduced vascularization, recent work demonstrates that the vasculature of fibroids is grossly and microscopically abnormal. Accumulating evidence suggests that angiogenic growth factor dysregulation may be implicated in these vascular and other features of fibroid pathophysiology. Methods Literature searches were performed in PubMed and Google Scholar for articles with content related to angiogenic growth factors and myometrium/leiomyoma. The findings are hereby reviewed and discussed. Results Multiple growth factors involved in angiogenesis are differentially expressed in leiomyoma compared with myometrium. These include epidermal growth factor (EGF), heparin-binding-EGF, vascular endothelial growth factor, basic fibroblast growth factor, platelet-derived growth factor, transforming growth factor-β and adrenomedullin. An important paradox is that although leiomyoma tissues are hypoxic, leiomyoma feature down-regulation of key molecular regulators of the hypoxia response. Furthermore, the hypoxic milieu of leiomyoma may contribute to fibroid development and growth. Notably, common treatments for fibroids such as GnRH agonists and uterine artery embolization (UAE) are shown to work at least partly via anti-angiogenic mechanisms. Conclusions Angiogenic growth factors play an important role in mechanisms of fibroid pathophysiology, including abnormal vasculature and fibroid growth and survival. Moreover, the fibroid's abnormal vasculature together with its aberrant hypoxic and angiogenic response may make it especially vulnerable to disruption of its vascular supply, a feature which could be exploited for treatment. Further experimental studies are required in order to gain a better understanding of the growth factors that are involved in normal and pathological myometrial angiogenesis, and to assess

Visual Motor Integration as a Screener for Responders and Non-Responders in Preschool and Early School Years: Implications for Inclusive Assessment in Oman

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Emam, Mahmoud Mohamed; Kazem, Ali Mahdi

2016-01-01

Visual motor integration (VMI) is the ability of the eyes and hands to work together in smooth, efficient patterns. In Oman, there are few effective methods to assess VMI skills in children in inclusive settings. The current study investigated the performance of preschool and early school years responders and non-responders on a VMI test. The full…

Potential drugs which activate nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 signaling to prevent diabetic cardiovascular complications: A focus on fumaric acid esters.

PubMed

Zhou, Shanshan; Jin, Jingpeng; Bai, Tao; Sachleben, Leroy R; Cai, Lu; Zheng, Yang

2015-08-01

Diabetes and its cardiovascular complications have been a major public health issue. These complications are mainly attributable to a severe imbalance between free radical and reactive oxygen species production and the antioxidant defense systems. Nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a transcription factor that controls the basal and inducible expression of a battery of antioxidant enzyme genes and other cyto-protective phase II detoxifying enzymes. As a result, Nrf2 has gained great attention as a promising drug target for preventing diabetic cardiovascular complications. And while animal studies have shown that several Nrf2 activators manifest a potential to efficiently prevent the diabetic complications, their use in humans has not been approved due to the lack of substantial evidence regarding safety and efficacy of the Nrf2 activation. We provide here a brief review of a few clinically-used drugs that can up-regulate Nrf2 with the potential of extending their usage to diabetic patients for the prevention of cardiovascular complications and conclude with a closer inspection of dimethyl fumarate and its mimic members. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Lay responder naloxone access and Good Samaritan law compliance: postcard survey results from 20 Indiana counties.

PubMed

Watson, Dennis P; Ray, Bradley; Robison, Lisa; Huynh, Philip; Sightes, Emily; Walker, La Shea; Brucker, Krista; Duwve, Joan

2018-04-06

To reduce fatal drug overdoses, two approaches many states have followed is to pass laws expanding naloxone access and Good Samaritan protections for lay persons with high likelihood to respond to an opioid overdose. Most prior research has examined attitudes and knowledge among lay responders in large metropolitan areas who actively use illicit substances. The present study addresses current gaps in knowledge related to this issue through an analysis of data collected from a broader group of lay responders who received naloxone kits from 20 local health departments across Indiana. Postcard surveys were included inside naloxone kits distributed in 20 Indiana counties, for which 217 returned cards indicated the person completing it was a lay responder. The survey captured demographic information and experiences with overdose, including the use of 911 and knowledge about Good Samaritan protections. Few respondents had administered naloxone before, but approximately one third had witnessed a prior overdose and the majority knew someone who had died from one. Those who knew someone who had overdosed were more likely to have obtained naloxone for someone other than themselves. Also, persons with knowledge of Good Samaritan protections or who had previously used naloxone were significantly more likely to have indicated calling 911 at the scene of a previously witnessed overdose. Primary reasons for not calling 911 included fear of the police and the person who overdosed waking up on their own. Knowing someone who has had a fatal or non-fatal overdose appears to be a strong motivating factor for obtaining naloxone. Clarifying and strengthening Good Samaritan protections, educating lay persons about these protections, and working to improve police interactions with the public when they are called to an overdose scene are likely to improve implementation and outcomes of naloxone distribution and opioid-related Good Samaritan laws.

Identification and Assessment of Potential Water Quality Impact Factors for Drinking-Water Reservoirs

PubMed Central

Gu, Qing; Deng, Jinsong; Wang, Ke; Lin, Yi; Li, Jun; Gan, Muye; Ma, Ligang; Hong, Yang

2014-01-01

Various reservoirs have been serving as the most important drinking water sources in Zhejiang Province, China, due to the uneven distribution of precipitation and severe river pollution. Unfortunately, rapid urbanization and industrialization have been continuously challenging the water quality of the drinking-water reservoirs. The identification and assessment of potential impacts is indispensable in water resource management and protection. This study investigates the drinking water reservoirs in Zhejiang Province to better understand the potential impact on water quality. Altogether seventy-three typical drinking reservoirs in Zhejiang Province encompassing various water storage levels were selected and evaluated. Using fifty-two reservoirs as training samples, the classification and regression tree (CART) method and sixteen comprehensive variables, including six sub-sets (land use, population, socio-economy, geographical features, inherent characteristics, and climate), were adopted to establish a decision-making model for identifying and assessing their potential impacts on drinking-water quality. The water quality class of the remaining twenty-one reservoirs was then predicted and tested based on the decision-making model, resulting in a water quality class attribution accuracy of 81.0%. Based on the decision rules and quantitative importance of the independent variables, industrial emissions was identified as the most important factor influencing the water quality of reservoirs; land use and human habitation also had a substantial impact on water quality. The results of this study provide insights into the factors impacting the water quality of reservoirs as well as basic information for protecting reservoir water resources. PMID:24919129

[Internet and video games among students of Reunion Island in 2010: uses, misuses, perceptions and associated factors].

PubMed

Ricquebourg, M; Bernède-Bauduin, C; Mété, D; Dafreville, C; Stojcic, I; Vauthier, M; Galland, M-C

2013-12-01

Describe the uses of Internet and video games and quantify associated problematic uses. Information on student practices concerning the use of the Internet and video games was collected with a self-administered questionnaire. Problematic uses were identified with specific tools (Young criteria and Tejeiro criteria) and with self-evaluative questions. Information on life events with traumatic potential and use of psychoactive substances was also collected. Logistic regression models were applied to identify possible associated factors. Based on a sample of 1119 subjects, this study showed that students in Reunion Island are very concerned by the uses of the Internet and video games (98% and 46% of respondents). The prevalence of problematic use of the Internet accounted for 6% of respondents. Problematic uses of video games involved 8% of students (18% of gamers). Young people seemed unaware of their problematic practices and were seeking informations. The public respondent was also characterized by vulnerable situations (traumatic events induring their lives, consumption of psychoactive substances). Significant associations (with no identified causality) were examined, in particular between problematic uses of Internet and video games, and life events with traumatic potential. These first estimates of the prevalence of problematic use of Internet and video games on Reunion Island are important to promote locally collective awareness about these modern addictions. These results will be used to guide local actions of prevention and care, especially among younger generations. But it is necessary to conduct further work to better identify the factors associated with these problematic uses (determinants, comorbidities addictive…). Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

Treatment of psychological factors in a child with difficult asthma: a case report.

PubMed

Anbar, Ran D; Sachdeva, Shagun

2011-07-01

Difficult asthma is defined as the persistence of asthma symptoms, abnormal pulmonary function showing airway obstruction, and continued requirement for short-acting bronchodilator therapy, despite adequate treatment with inhaled corticosteroids. It calls for a thorough evaluation of the patient to look into alternate and complicating diagnoses. The authors report a case of a 9-year-old patient with difficult asthma who failed to respond to conventional therapy. Although it was recognized that he had a number of potential medical complicating factors including allergies, chronic sinusitis, and gastroesophageal reflux, a psychological intervention using hypnosis ultimately appeared to help alleviate his symptoms completely. Thus, psychological evaluation and intervention should be considered early in the course of management of a patient with difficult asthma, because it may help avoid time-consuming and expensive investigations of potential complicating factors, and it may yield rapid improvement in the patient's clinical condition.

Hypnotic clever hands: Agency and automatic responding.

PubMed

Polito, Vince; Barnier, Amanda J; Connors, Michael H

2018-06-01

The Clever Hands task (Wegner, Fuller, & Sparrow, 2003) is a behavioral illusion in which participants make responses to a trivia quiz for which they have no sense of agency. Sixty high hypnotizable participants completed two versions of the Clever Hands task. Quiz One was a replication of the original study. Quiz Two was a hypnotic adaptation using three suggestions that were based on clinical disruptions to the sense of agency. The suggestions were for: random responding, thought insertion, and alien control. These suggestions led to differences in accuracy (action production) and estimates of accuracy (action projection). Specifically, whereas the random responding suggestion had little effect, the two clinically based suggestions had opposite impacts on action production: the thought insertion suggestion led to an increase in the rate of correct responses (although participants still believed they were responding randomly); while the alien control suggestion led to a reduction in the rate of correct answers and a pattern of results that more closely approximated randomness. Contrary to theoretical accounts that claim that hypnosis affects executive monitoring rather than executive control, this result indicates that specific hypnotic suggestions can also influence the implicit processes involved in action production. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Developing a programme theory to explain how primary health care teams learn to respond to intimate partner violence: a realist case-study.

PubMed

Goicolea, Isabel; Hurtig, Anna-Karin; San Sebastian, Miguel; Vives-Cases, Carmen; Marchal, Bruno

2015-06-09

Despite the progress made on policies and programmes to strengthen primary health care teams' response to Intimate Partner Violence, the literature shows that encounters between women exposed to IPV and health-care providers are not always satisfactory, and a number of barriers that prevent individual health-care providers from responding to IPV have been identified. We carried out a realist case study, for which we developed and tested a programme theory that seeks to explain how, why and under which circumstances a primary health care team in Spain learned to respond to IPV. A realist case study design was chosen to allow for an in-depth exploration of the linkages between context, intervention, mechanisms and outcomes as they happen in their natural setting. The first author collected data at the primary health care center La Virgen (pseudonym) through the review of documents, observation and interviews with health systems' managers, team members, women patients, and members of external services. The quality of the IPV case management was assessed with the PREMIS tool. This study found that the health care team at La Virgen has managed 1) to engage a number of staff members in actively responding to IPV, 2) to establish good coordination, mutual support and continuous learning processes related to IPV, 3) to establish adequate internal referrals within La Virgen, and 4) to establish good coordination and referral systems with other services. Team and individual level factors have triggered the capacity and interest in creating spaces for team leaning, team work and therapeutic responses to IPV in La Virgen, although individual motivation strongly affected this mechanism. Regional interventions did not trigger individual and/ or team responses but legitimated the workings of motivated professionals. The primary health care team of La Virgen is involved in a continuous learning process, even as participation in the process varies between professionals. This

Toll-like receptors and aseptic loosening of hip endoprosthesis-a potential to respond against danger signals?

PubMed

Lähdeoja, Tuomas; Pajarinen, Jukka; Kouri, Vesa-Petteri; Sillat, Tarvo; Salo, Jari; Konttinen, Yrjö T

2010-02-01

Bacterial remnants and subclinical biofilms residing on prosthesis surfaces have been speculated to play a role in hip implant loosening by opsonizing otherwise relatively inert wear particles. The innate immune system recognizes these microbial pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) using Toll-like receptors (TLRs). Our objective was to evaluate the possible presence of TLRs in aseptic synovial membrane-like interface tissue. Bacterial culture-negative, aseptic (n = 4) periprosthetic synovial membrane-like tissue was compared to osteoarthritis synovial membrane (n = 5) for the presence of cells positive for all known human functional TLRs, stained using specific antibodies by immunohistochemistry, and evaluated using morphometry. In comparison to osteoarthtritic synovium, the number of TLR-positive cells was found to be increased in the aseptic setting, reflecting the considerable macrophage infiltration to the tissues investigated. Thus aseptic periprosthetic tissue seems to be very reactive to PAMPs. It has been recently recognized that TLR do not only respond to traditional PAMPs, but also to endogenous alarmings or danger signals released from necrotic and activated cells. Alarming-TLR interaction in the periprosthetic tissue might be a novel mechanism of aseptic loosening of endoprosthesis. (c) 2009 Orthopaedic Research Society.

Potential factors associated with knee pain in cyclists: a systematic review.

PubMed

Bini, Rodrigo Rico; Flores Bini, Alice

2018-01-01

The potential factors associated with overuse injuries and pain in cyclists that are supported by evidence remain unclear. Our study aimed at assessing, using a systematic search of the most updated evidence, the main factors related to overuse knee-related pain and/or injuries in cyclists. The search assessed any potential mechanism related to knee pain or injury that could be used in the clinical practice. Databases were searched (i.e., PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and EBSCO). Studies were included if they presented results from original studies. They had to include, preferably but not limited to, recreational and/or competitive cyclists with or without knee pain. Quality of articles was assessed. Eleven articles were deemed eligible for full text appraisal. Studies involved generally the assessment of biomechanical outcomes associated with knee pain in cyclists. Overall, studies showed that cyclists with knee pain present larger knee adduction and larger ankle dorsiflexion and differences in activation for hamstrings and quadriceps muscles. Unclear results were observed for knee moments and no differences were observed for knee flexion angle, tibiofemoral and patellofemoral forces. It is important to state that varied types of knee pain were mixed in most studies, with 2 focused on anterior-related pain. Cyclists with overuse-related pain or injuries on their knees presented an increased medial projection of their knees and an altered activation of the Vastus Medialis and Vastus Lateralis muscles. However, this limited evidence is based on retrospective studies comparing cyclists with and without pain, which limits the conclusion on how cyclists develop knee pain and what are the main options for treatment of knee pain.

Potential Analysis of Rainfall-induced Sediment Disaster

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Jing-Wen; Chen, Yie-Ruey; Hsieh, Shun-Chieh; Tsai, Kuang-Jung; Chue, Yung-Sheng

2014-05-01

Most of the mountain regions in Taiwan are sedimentary and metamorphic rocks which are fragile and highly weathered. Severe erosion occurs due to intensive rainfall and rapid flow, the erosion is even worsen by frequent earthquakes and severely affects the stability of hillsides. Rivers are short and steep in Taiwan with large runoff differences in wet and dry seasons. Discharges respond rapidly with rainfall intensity and flood flows usually carry large amount of sediment. Because of the highly growth in economics and social change, the development in the slope land is inevitable in Taiwan. However, sediment disasters occur frequently in high and precipitous region during typhoon. To make the execution of the regulation of slope land development more efficiency, construction of evaluation model for sediment potential is very important. In this study, the Genetic Adaptive Neural Network (GANN) was implemented in texture analysis techniques for the classification of satellite images of research region before and after typhoon or extreme rainfall and to obtain surface information and hazard log data. By using GANN weight analysis, factors, levels and probabilities of disaster of the research areas are presented. Then, through geographic information system the disaster potential map is plotted to distinguish high potential regions from low potential regions. Finally, the evaluation processes for sediment disaster after rainfall due to slope land use are established. In this research, the automatic image classification and evaluation modules for sediment disaster after rainfall due to slope land disturbance and natural environment are established in MATLAB to avoid complexity and time of computation. After implementation of texture analysis techniques, the results show that the values of overall accuracy and coefficient of agreement of the time-saving image classification for different time periods are at intermediate-high level and above. The results of GANN show that

Assessment of environmental factors that affect the fireflies for ecotourism in Unesco Tasik Chini biosphere reserve

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roslan, Norzeana; Sulaiman, Norela

2015-09-01

This study was conducted to study the firefly species found in Tasik Chini, the soil factors that suitable for larval development fireflies flashes, and the sociological aspects of the community's availability to engage in firefly ecotourism. This was achieved through firefly sampling, soil analysis, abiotic data collection and by questionnaire surveys from local community perceptions and knowledge on fireflies and ecotourism. Fireflies sampling were conducted from December 2011 to January 2013 at Kampung Melai and Kampung Cenahan. Three non-synchronize fireflies genus were found, namely Colophotia sp., Pygoluciola sp., and Pyrocoelia sp. A total of 25 questionnaires were given to four groups of respondents consisting orang asli (5 respondents), boat operator (2 respondents), resort workers (5 respondents) and FELDA residents (13 respondents). The questionnaires were analysed using Rasch Winstep Software based on Rasch Measurement Model. Results of the survey indicated that the local community was not ready for ecotourism in their area. Meanwhile, the soil pH was very acidic and the heavy metals concentration was high, which is not good for the development of firefly larvae. In conclusion, Tasik Chini was not having the potential for ecotourism. Despite the fact, improvement of soils with soil remediation methods can be apply for enhancing larvae development and having more awareness campaign of ecotourism to local community.

Very Low-Calorie Diet and 6 Months of Weight Stability in Type 2 Diabetes: Pathophysiological Changes in Responders and Nonresponders.

PubMed

Steven, Sarah; Hollingsworth, Kieren G; Al-Mrabeh, Ahmad; Avery, Leah; Aribisala, Benjamin; Caslake, Muriel; Taylor, Roy

2016-05-01

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is generally regarded as an irreversible chronic condition. Because a very low-calorie diet (VLCD) can bring about acute return to normal glucose control in some people with T2DM, this study tested the potential durability of this normalization. The underlying mechanisms were defined. People with a T2DM duration of 0.5-23 years (n = 30) followed a VLCD for 8 weeks. All oral agents or insulins were stopped at baseline. Following a stepped return to isocaloric diet, a structured, individualized program of weight maintenance was provided. Glucose control, insulin sensitivity, insulin secretion, and hepatic and pancreas fat content were quantified at baseline, after return to isocaloric diet, and after 6 months to permit the primary comparison of change between post-weight loss and 6 months in responders. Responders were defined as achieving fasting blood glucose <7 mmol/L after return to isocaloric diet. Weight fell (98.0 ± 2.6 to 83.8 ± 2.4 kg) and remained stable over 6 months (84.7 ± 2.5 kg). Twelve of 30 participants achieved fasting plasma glucose <7 mmol/L after return to isocaloric diet (responders), and 13 of 30 after 6 months. Responders had a shorter duration of diabetes and a higher initial fasting plasma insulin level. HbA1c fell from 7.1 ± 0.3 to 5.8 ± 0.2% (55 ± 4 to 40 ± 2 mmol/mol) in responders (P < 0.001) and from 8.4 ± 0.3 to 8.0 ± 0.5% (68 ± 3 to 64 ± 5 mmol/mol) in nonresponders, remaining constant at 6 months (5.9 ± 0.2 and 7.8 ± 0.3% [41 ± 2 and 62 ± 3 mmol/mol], respectively). The responders were characterized by return of first-phase insulin response. A robust and sustainable weight loss program achieved continuing remission of diabetes for at least 6 months in the 40% who responded to a VLCD by achieving fasting plasma glucose of <7 mmol/L. T2DM is a potentially reversible condition. © 2016 by the American Diabetes Association. Readers may use this article as long as the work is properly cited

Effect of prior foot shock stress and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabidiolic acid, and cannabidiol on anxiety-like responding in the light-dark emergence test in rats.

PubMed

Rock, Erin M; Limebeer, Cheryl L; Petrie, Gavin N; Williams, Lauren A; Mechoulam, Raphael; Parker, Linda A

2017-07-01

Cannabis is commonly used by humans to relieve stress. Here, we evaluate the potential of intraperitoneally (i.p.) administered Δ 9 -tetrahydrocannabiol (THC) and cannabidiolic acid (CBDA, the precursor of cannabidiol [CBD]) to produce dose-dependent effects on anxiety-like responding in the light-dark (LD) emergence test of anxiety-like responding in rats, when administered acutely or chronically (21 days). As well, we evaluate the potential of THC, CBDA, and CBD to reduce anxiogenic responding produced by foot shock (FS) stress 24 h prior to the LD test. In the absence of the explicit FS stressor, THC (1 and 10 mg/kg) produced anxiogenic-like responding when administered acutely or chronically, but CBDA produced neither anxiogenic- nor anxiolytic-like responding. Administration of FS stress 24 h prior to the LD test enhanced anxiogenic-like responding (reduced time spent and increased latency to enter the light compartment) in rats pretreated with either vehicle (VEH) or THC (1 mg/kg); however, administration of CBDA (0.1-100 μg/kg) or CBD (5 mg/kg) prevented the FS-induced anxiogenic-like responding (an anxiolytic-like effect). The 5-hydroxytryptamine 1A (5-HT 1A ) receptor antagonist, WAY100635, reversed CBDA's anxiolytic effect (1 μg/kg). Combining an anxiolytic dose of CBDA (1 μg/kg) or CBD (5 mg/kg) with an anxiogenic dose of THC (1 mg/kg) did not modify THC's anxiogenic effect. These results suggest the anxiolytic effects of CBDA and CBD may require the presence of a specific stressor.

Responding to the active and passive patient: flexibility is the key

PubMed Central

Brown, Rhonda F.; Butow, Phyllis N.; Henman, Michael; Dunn, Stewart M.; Boyle, Francis; Tattersall, Martin H.N.

2002-01-01

Abstract Background  Patients vary widely in their preferences and capacity for participation in medical decision‐making. This study aimed to document oncologist responses to more extreme presentations and identify helpful and unhelpful strategies for clinicians. Patients and methods  A trained actor played the role of a patient with early stage breast cancer who was attending her first consultation with a medical oncologist. She adopted in random order two different consultation participation styles: that of a very anxious, active patient, and that of a depressed, passive patient. Medical consultations between the actor and 16 medical oncologists were videotaped and then analysed qualitatively by two trained raters. Results  Strategies that facilitated shared decision‐making with both patient types and were positively endorsed by the actor/patient included explicit agenda‐setting, active listening, checking understanding, endorsing question‐asking, offering decisional delay, and non‐verbal behaviours conveying empathy and warmth. Oncologists successfully negotiated with the active patient to share control of the consultation, and responded to emotional cues from the passive patient. Unhelpful strategies were also identified. Conclusions  Few clinicians receive training in responding to differing communication styles in their patients that could potentially cause conflict and hinder optimal treatment decision‐making. This study suggests some useful strategies for oncologists to consider, to widen their behavioural repertoire in the cancer consultation. PMID:12199662

78 FR 15357 - First Responder Network Authority Board Special Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-11

... Network Authority Board Special Meeting AGENCY: National Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. ACTION: Notice of Public Meeting of the First Responder Network Authority. SUMMARY: The Board of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) will hold a Special...

78 FR 38014 - First Responder Network Authority Board Special Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-25

... Network Authority Board Special Meeting AGENCY: National Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. ACTION: Notice of Public Meeting of the First Responder Network Authority. SUMMARY: The Board of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) will hold a Special...

78 FR 54241 - First Responder Network Authority Board Special Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-03

... Network Authority Board Special Meeting AGENCY: National Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. ACTION: Notice of Public Meeting of the First Responder Network Authority. SUMMARY: The Board of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) will hold a Special...

78 FR 26323 - First Responder Network Authority Board Special Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-06

... Network Authority Board Special Meeting AGENCY: National Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. ACTION: Notice of Public Meeting of the First Responder Network Authority. SUMMARY: The Board of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) will hold a Special...

78 FR 63168 - First Responder Network Authority Board Special Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-23

... Network Authority Board Special Meeting AGENCY: National Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. ACTION: Notice of Public Meeting of the First Responder Network Authority. SUMMARY: The Board of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) will hold a Special...

Development and evaluation of the McKnight Risk Factor Survey for assessing potential risk and protective factors for disordered eating in preadolescent and adolescent girls.

PubMed

Shisslak, C M; Renger, R; Sharpe, T; Crago, M; McKnight, K M; Gray, N; Bryson, S; Estes, L S; Parnaby, O G; Killen, J; Taylor, C B

1999-03-01

To describe the development, test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and convergent validity of the McKnight Risk Factor Survey-III (MRFS-III). The MRFS-III was designed to assess a number of potential risk and protective factors for the development of disordered eating in preadolescent and adolescent girls. Several versions of the MRFS were pilot tested before the MRFS-III was administered to a sample of 651 4th through 12th- grade girls to establish its psychometric properties. Most of the test-retest reliability coefficients of individual items on the MRFS-III were r > .40. Alpha coefficients for each risk and protective factor domain on the MRFS-III were also computed. The majority of these coefficients were r > .60. High convergent validity coefficients were obtained for specific items on the MRFS-III and measures of self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale) and weight concerns (Weight Concerns Scale). The test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and convergent validity of the MRFS-III suggest that it is a useful new instrument to assess potential risk and protective factors for the development of disordered eating in preadolescent and adolescent girls.

[Rehabilitation potential of disabled persons with consequences of cerebral stroke and effects of factors of the organization of rehabilitation assistance].

PubMed

Voskresenskaia, O N; Klemesheva, Iu N; Akimova, T N

2012-01-01

The authors demonstrated the possibility for the practical use of the index "Rehabilitation Potential" in the evaluation of the degree of restoration of neurological deficit developed due to cerebral stroke. The most significant factors characterizing the organization and implementation of rehabilitation measures in different periods of stroke and the effect of these factors on the level of rehabilitation potential of disabled persons with consequences of stroke are specified. It has been shown that the perfect organization of restorative treatment has a positive effect on the level of rehabilitation potential of disabled persons.

Daily hassles, their antecedents and outcomes among professional first responders: A systematic literature review.

PubMed

Larsson, Gerry; Berglund, Anna Karin; Ohlsson, Alicia

2016-08-01

Occupational groups such as firefighters, military officers, paramedics and police officers are exposed to a combination of acute, severe and accumulated everyday stress. Drawing on the daily hassles perspective on stress, the aim was to synthesize existing research on daily hassles in professional first responder settings into a theoretical model. A systematic mixed studies review with an integrated design was undertaken. The selection process resulted in 40 articles meeting the inclusion criteria. The selected papers represented two literature reviews, one qualitative study, eight longitudinal studies and 29 cross-sectional studies. Five superior categories emerged in the analysis: Individual antecedent and continuously framing factors, Environmental antecedent and continuously framing factors, Appraisal and coping processes, Daily hassles and Outcome. Suggestions for future research are presented. © 2016 Scandinavian Psychological Associations and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Factors Influencing Pediatrician Retirement: A Survey of American Academy of Pediatrics Chapter Members.

PubMed

Rimsza, Mary E; Ruch-Ross, Holly; Simon, Harold K; Pendergass, Thomas W; Mulvey, Holly J

2017-09-01

To assess the factors that may influence physicians' desire to retire through an analysis of data collected through the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) State Pediatrician Workforce Survey. An electronic survey was sent to retired and nonretired US pediatricians who held AAP membership. The respondents were asked about the importance of 12 factors that would influence or had influenced their decision to retire. The physicians who were not yet retired also were asked: "If you could afford to today, would you retire from medicine?" The survey was completed by 8867 pediatricians. Among the nonretired respondents, 27% reported that they would retire today if it were affordable. Increasing regulation of medicine, decreasing clinical autonomy, and insufficient reimbursement were rated as very important factors by >50% of these pediatricians. Among retired pediatricians, 26.9% identified the effort to keep up with clinical advances and changes in practice as a very important factor in their decision to retire. Younger physicians were significantly more likely to rate maintenance of certification requirements, insufficient reimbursement, lack of professional satisfaction, and family responsibilities as very important factors. Rural pediatricians were more interested in retiring than those working in academic settings. There were no sex differences. Twenty-seven percent of pediatricians in practice today would retire today if it were affordable. Identifying and addressing the important factors that influence a pediatrician's desire to retire can potentially reduce the retirement rate of pediatricians and thus increase access to care for children. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Identification of potential virulence factors of Cronobacter sakazakii isolates by comparative proteomic analysis.

PubMed

Ye, Yingwang; Li, Hui; Ling, Na; Han, Yongjia; Wu, Qingping; Xu, Xiaoke; Jiao, Rui; Gao, Jina

2016-01-18

Cronobacter is a group of important foodborne pathogens associated with neonatal meningitis, septicemia, and necrotizing enterocolitis. Among Cronobacter species, Cronobacter sakazakii is the most common species in terms of isolation frequency. However, the molecular basis involved in virulence differences among C. sakazakii isolates is still unknown. In this study, based on the determination of virulence differences of C. sakazakii G362 (virulent isolate) and L3101 (attenuated isolate) through intraperitoneal injection, histopathologic analysis (small intestine, kidney, and liver) further confirmed virulence differences. Thereafter, the potential virulence factors were determined using two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) coupled with MALDI/TOP/TOF mass spectrometry. Among a total of 36 protein spots showing differential expression (fold change>1.2), we identified 31 different proteins, of which the expression abundance of 22 was increased in G362. These up-regulated proteins in G362 mainly contained DNA starvation/stationary phase protection protein Dps, OmpA, LuxS, ATP-dependent Clp protease ClpC, and ABC transporter substrate-binding proteins, which might be involved in virulence of C. sakazakii. This is the first report to determine the potential virulence factors of C. sakazakii isolates at the proteomic levels. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Using biological factors to individualize interventions for youth with conduct problems: Current state and ethical issues.

PubMed

Glenn, Andrea L

2018-04-16

A growing body of evidence suggests that biological factors such as genes, hormone levels, brain structure, and brain functioning influence the development and trajectory of conduct problems in youth. In addition, biological factors affect how individuals respond to the environment, including how individuals respond to programs designed to prevent or treat conduct problems. Programs designed to reduce behavior problems in youth would have the greatest impact if they were targeted toward youth who need it the most (e.g., who are mostly likely to demonstrate persistent behavior problems) as well as youth who may benefit the most from the program. Biological information may improve our ability to make decisions about which type or level of intervention is best for a particular child, thus maximizing overall effectiveness, but it also raises a number of ethical concerns. These include the idea that we may be providing fewer services to some youth based on biological factors, and that information about biological risk could potentially lead to discrimination or labeling. In this article, I discuss the risks and benefits of using biological information to individualize interventions for youth with conduct problems. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Segmental distribution of some common molecular markers for colorectal cancer (CRC): influencing factors and potential implications.

PubMed

Papagiorgis, Petros Christakis

2016-05-01

Proximal and distal colorectal cancers (CRCs) are regarded as distinct disease entities, evolving through different genetic pathways and showing multiple clinicopathological and molecular differences. Segmental distribution of some common markers (e.g., KRAS, EGFR, Ki-67, Bcl-2, COX-2) is clinically important, potentially affecting their prognostic or predictive value. However, this distribution is influenced by a variety of factors such as the anatomical overlap of tumorigenic molecular events, associations of some markers with other clinicopathological features (stage and/or grade), and wide methodological variability in markers' assessment. All these factors represent principal influences followed by intratumoral heterogeneity and geographic variation in the frequency of detection of particular markers, whereas the role of other potential influences (e.g., pre-adjuvant treatment, interaction between markers) remains rather unclear. Better understanding and elucidation of the various influences may provide a more accurate picture of the segmental distribution of molecular markers in CRC, potentially allowing the application of a novel patient stratification for treatment, based on particular molecular profiles in combination with tumor location.

The role of proteosome-mediated proteolysis in modulating potentially harmful transcription factor activity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

PubMed Central

Bonzanni, Nicola; Zhang, Nianshu; Oliver, Stephen G.; Fisher, Jasmin

2011-01-01

Motivation: The appropriate modulation of the stress response to variable environmental conditions is necessary to maintain sustained viability in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Particularly, controlling the abundance of proteins that may have detrimental effects on cell growth is crucial for rapid recovery from stress-induced quiescence. Results: Prompted by qualitative modeling of the nutrient starvation response in yeast, we investigated in vivo the effect of proteolysis after nutrient starvation showing that, for the Gis1 transcription factor at least, proteasome-mediated control is crucial for a rapid return to growth. Additional bioinformatics analyses show that potentially toxic transcriptional regulators have a significantly lower protein half-life, a higher fraction of unstructured regions and more potential PEST motifs than the non-detrimental ones. Furthermore, inhibiting proteasome activity tends to increase the expression of genes induced during the Environmental Stress Response more than those in the rest of the genome. Our combined results suggest that proteasome-mediated proteolysis of potentially toxic transcription factors tightly modulates the stress response in yeast. Contact: jasmin.fisher@microsoft.com Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. PMID:21685082

Responding to Misinformation about Climate Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawrence, Eva K.; Estow, Sarah

2017-01-01

This study examined responses to climate change misinformation and messages designed to counter misinformation. Participants (N = 406) first responded to a social media post denying the existence of global warming and then were randomly assigned to read one of three responses to the original post (correction, collaboration, control). Participants…

Responding to Student Essays: A Conversation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teichmann, Sandra Gail; Fike, Darrell

Two college writing teachers share their viewpoint that people outside the academic setting often misunderstand the time-consuming activities involved with responding to student writing. They agree that teachers should envision evaluation as conducting a conversation with the writer of the essay. The key component of this conversation, depending…

48 CFR 1852.235-72 - Instructions for responding to NASA Research Announcements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... responding to NASA Research Announcements. 1852.235-72 Section 1852.235-72 Federal Acquisition Regulations... CONTRACT CLAUSES Texts of Provisions and Clauses 1852.235-72 Instructions for responding to NASA Research Announcements. As prescribed in 1835.070(c), insert the following provision: Instructions for Responding to NASA...

48 CFR 1852.235-72 - Instructions for responding to NASA Research Announcements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... responding to NASA Research Announcements. 1852.235-72 Section 1852.235-72 Federal Acquisition Regulations... CONTRACT CLAUSES Texts of Provisions and Clauses 1852.235-72 Instructions for responding to NASA Research Announcements. As prescribed in 1835.070(c), insert the following provision: Instructions for Responding to NASA...

48 CFR 1852.235-72 - Instructions for responding to NASA Research Announcements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... responding to NASA Research Announcements. 1852.235-72 Section 1852.235-72 Federal Acquisition Regulations... CONTRACT CLAUSES Texts of Provisions and Clauses 1852.235-72 Instructions for responding to NASA Research Announcements. As prescribed in 1835.070(c), insert the following provision: Instructions for Responding to NASA...

48 CFR 1852.235-72 - Instructions for responding to NASA Research Announcements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... responding to NASA Research Announcements. 1852.235-72 Section 1852.235-72 Federal Acquisition Regulations... CONTRACT CLAUSES Texts of Provisions and Clauses 1852.235-72 Instructions for responding to NASA Research Announcements. As prescribed in 1835.070(c), insert the following provision: Instructions for Responding to NASA...

Characterizing Potentially Preventable Admissions: A Mixed Methods Study of Rates, Associated Factors, Outcomes, and Physician Decision-Making.

PubMed

Daniels, Lisa M; Sorita, Atsushi; Kashiwagi, Deanne T; Okubo, Masashi; Small, Evan; Polley, Eric C; Sawatsky, Adam P

2018-05-01

Potentially preventable admissions are a target for healthcare cost containment. To identify rates of, characterize associations with, and explore physician decision-making around potentially preventable admissions. A comparative cohort study was used to determine rates of potentially preventable admissions and to identify associated factors and patient outcomes. A qualitative case study was used to explore physicians' clinical decision-making. Patients admitted from the emergency department (ED) to the general medicine (GM) service over a total of 4 weeks were included as cases (N = 401). Physicians from both emergency medicine (EM) and GM that were involved in the cases were included (N = 82). Physicians categorized admissions as potentially preventable. We examined differences in patient characteristics, admission characteristics, and patient outcomes between potentially preventable and control admissions. Interviews with participating physicians were conducted and transcribed. Transcriptions were systematically analyzed for key concepts regarding potentially preventable admissions. EM and GM physicians categorized 22.2% (90/401) of admissions as potentially preventable. There were no significant differences between potentially preventable and control admissions in patient or admission characteristics. Potentially preventable admissions had shorter length of stay (2.1 vs. 3.6 days, p < 0.001). There was no difference in other patient outcomes. Physicians discussed several provider, system, and patient factors that affected clinical decision-making around potentially preventable admissions, particularly in the "gray zone," including risk of deterioration at home, the risk of hospitalization, the cost to the patient, and the presence of outpatient resources. Differences in provider training, risk assessment, and provider understanding of outpatient access accounted for differences in decisions between EM and GM physicians. Collaboration between EM and

Parental posttraumatic stress and child behavioral problems in world trade center responders.

PubMed

Uchida, Mai; Feng, Huifen; Feder, Adriana; Mota, Natalie; Schechter, Clyde B; Woodworth, Hilary D; Kelberman, Caroline G; Crane, Michael; Landrigan, Philip; Moline, Jacqueline; Udasin, Iris; Harrison, Denise; Luft, Benjamin J; Katz, Craig; Southwick, Steven M; Pietrzak, Robert H

2018-06-01

We investigated trans-generational associations between Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms in World Trade Center (WTC) responders and behavioral problems in their children. Participants were WTC responders-8034 police and 8352 non-traditional (eg, construction workers)-with one or more children at the time of their first visit to the World Trade Center Health Program (WTC-HP). Self-report questionnaires were administered approximately 4 years after the 9/11 WTC attack. A total of 31.4% of non-traditional and 20.0% of police responders reported behavioral problems in their children. Non-traditional responder status, female sex, Hispanic ethnicity, more life stressors, more WTC-related PTSD symptoms, and dysphoric arousal symptoms were significant correlates of behavioral problems in responders' children. Specific parental sociodemographic, psychosocial and clinical characteristics, as well as PTSD symptom severity, were significant correlates of child behavior problems. Findings encourage monitoring and early intervention for children of disaster responders, particularly those at highest risk. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Nightmares in the general population: identifying potential causal factors.

PubMed

Rek, Stephanie; Sheaves, Bryony; Freeman, Daniel

2017-09-01

Nightmares are inherently distressing, prevent restorative sleep, and are associated with a number of psychiatric problems, but have rarely been the subject of empirical study. Negative affect, linked to stressful events, is generally considered the key trigger of nightmares; hence nightmares have most often been considered in the context of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, many individuals with heightened negative affect do not have nightmares. The objective of this study was to identify mechanistically plausible factors, beyond negative affect, that may explain why individuals experience nightmares. 846 participants from the UK general population completed an online survey about nightmare occurrence and severity (pre-occupation, distress, and impairment), negative affect, worry, depersonalisation, hallucinatory experiences, paranoia, alcohol use, sleep duration, physical activity levels, PTSD symptoms, and stressful life events. Associations of nightmares with the putative predictive factors were tested controlling for levels of negative affect. Analyses were also repeated controlling for levels of PTSD and the recent occurrence of stressful life events. Nightmare occurrence, adjusting for negative affect, was associated with higher levels of worry, depersonalisation, hallucinatory experiences, paranoia, and sleep duration (odds ratios 1.25-1.45). Nightmare severity, controlling for negative affect, was associated with higher levels of worry, depersonalisation, hallucinatory experiences, and paranoia (R 2 s: 0.33-0.39). Alcohol use and physical activity levels were not associated with nightmares. The study identifies a number of potential predictors of the occurrence and severity of nightmares. Causal roles require testing in future longitudinal, experimental, and treatment studies.

The gefitinib long-term responder (LTR)--a cancer stem-like cell story? Insights from molecular analyses of German long-term responders treated in the IRESSA expanded access program (EAP).

PubMed

Gottschling, Sandra; Herpel, Esther; Eberhardt, Wilfried E E; Heigener, David F; Fischer, Jürgen R; Köhne, Claus-Henning; Kortsik, Cornelius; Kuhnt, Thomas; Muley, Thomas; Meister, Michael; Bischoff, Helge G; Klein, Peter; Moldenhauer, Ines; Schnabel, Philipp A; Thomas, Michael; Penzel, Roland

2012-07-01

In selected patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) the EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) gefitinib (IRESSA) shows response rates of ≥ 70% and a significant prolongation of progression free survival (PFS). However, cogent biomarkers predicting long-term response to EGFR-TKIs are yet lacking. Cancer stem-like cells (CSC) are thought to play a pivotal role in tumor regeneration and appear to be influenced by the EGFR-pathway. This makes them a promising candidate for predicting long-term response to EGFR-TKIs. We analyzed pre-therapeutic tissue specimens of a rare and specific subset of previously treated German patients with advanced NSCLC who experienced ≥ 3 year response to gefitinib within the International IRESSA EAP. 11/20 identified long-term responders (LTRs) had appropriate tissue specimens available. Those were analyzed for EGFR and k-ras (Kirsten rat sarcoma) mutations, EGFR and c-met (met proto-oncogene) amplifications and protein expression of EGFR, E-cadherin/vimentin and the CSC antigens CD133 and BCRP1 (breast cancer resistance protein 1). The results were compared to primary resistant patients (RPs) and intermediate responders (IRs) showing a median response of 8.6 months. Each group consisted of 6 women and 5 men, with 1 squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and 10 adenocarcinoma (AC). Along the LTRs, all but the SCC had EGFR mutations, whereas the RPs had no EGFR, but k-ras mutations in 5/11 cases. 8/11 IRs had EGFR and 3/11 k-ras mutations, of which 2 occurred concomitantly. One patient of each group had an EGFR and/or c-met amplification. EGFR and E-cadherin/vimentin expression was not different between the groups, whereas CD133 was expressed only in 4/10 LTRs and BCRP1 predominantly in responders. The LTRs showed a substantially longer mean PFS to previous therapies, a substantially lower number of metastatic sites and almost exclusively pulmonary or pleural metastasis. LTRs display established

The in vitro real-time oscillation monitoring system identifies potential entrainment factors for circadian clocks

PubMed Central

Nakahata, Yasukazu; Akashi, Makoto; Trcka, Daniel; Yasuda, Akio; Takumi, Toru

2006-01-01

Background Circadian rhythms are endogenous, self-sustained oscillations with approximately 24-hr rhythmicity that are manifested in various physiological and metabolic processes. The circadian organization of these processes in mammals is governed by the master oscillator within the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) of the hypothalamus. Recent findings revealed that circadian oscillators exist in most organs, tissues, and even in immortalized cells, and that the oscillators in peripheral tissues are likely to be coordinated by SCN, the master oscillator. Some candidates for endogenous entrainment factors have sporadically been reported, however, their details remain mainly obscure. Results We developed the in vitro real-time oscillation monitoring system (IV-ROMS) by measuring the activity of luciferase coupled to the oscillatory gene promoter using photomultiplier tubes and applied this system to screen and identify factors able to influence circadian rhythmicity. Using this IV-ROMS as the primary screening of entrainment factors for circadian clocks, we identified 12 candidates as the potential entrainment factor in a total of 299 peptides and bioactive lipids. Among them, four candidates (endothelin-1, all-trans retinoic acid, 9-cis retinoic acid, and 13-cis retinoic acid) have already been reported as the entrainment factors in vivo and in vitro. We demonstrated that one of the novel candidates, 15-deoxy-Δ12,14-prostaglandin J2 (15d-PGJ2), a natural ligand of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ), triggers the rhythmic expression of endogenous clock genes in NIH3T3 cells. Furthermore, we showed that 15d-PGJ2 transiently induces Cry1, Cry2, and Rorα mRNA expressions and that 15d-PGJ2-induced entrainment signaling pathway is PPAR-γ – and MAPKs (ERK, JNK, p38MAPK)-independent. Conclusion Here, we identified 15d-PGJ2 as an entrainment factor in vitro. Using our developed IV-ROMS to screen 299 compounds, we found eight novel and four known

The dilemma of aneuploidy screening on low responders.

PubMed

Morin, Scott J; Kaser, Daniel J; Franasiak, Jason M

2018-06-01

Preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) has been demonstrated to improve implantation and pregnancy rates and decrease miscarriage rates over standard morphology-based embryo selection. However, there are limited data on its efficacy in patients with diminished ovarian reserve or a poor response to stimulation who may have fewer embryos to select amongst. Early findings demonstrate that PGT-A reduces the miscarriage rate and decreases the time to delivery in poor responders. These studies highlight the importance of designing trials that compare outcomes over multiple cycles as the benefit of PGT-A in this patient population lies in eliminating the time lost to futile transfers of aneuploid embryos. Furthermore, recent studies have demonstrated that a catch-all category of 'poor responder' may need to be reevaluated as different subpopulations of patients with low response exhibit different clinical characteristics. More information is needed on characterizing the physiology of ovarian aging across multiple phenotypes of diminished ovarian reserve and establishing the predictive value of aneuploid results across multiple PGT-A platforms. However, initial data suggests benefit of PGT-A in poor responders.

Satisfaction Data Collected by E-mail and Smartphone for Emergency Department Patients: How Do Responders Compare With Nonresponders?

PubMed

Strickler, Jeffery C; Lopiano, Kenneth K

2016-11-01

This study profiles an innovative approach to capture patient satisfaction data from emergency department (ED) patients by implementing an electronic survey method. This study compares responders to nonresponders. Our hypothesis is that the cohort of survey respondents will be similar to nonresponders in terms of the key characteristics of age, gender, race, ethnicity, ED disposition, and payor status. This study is a cross-sectional design using secondary data from the database and provides an opportunity for univariate analysis of the key characteristics for each group. The data elements will be abstracted from the database and compared with the same key characteristics from a similar sample from the database on nonresponders to the ED satisfaction survey. Age showed a statistically significant difference between responders and nonresponders. Comparison by disposition status showed no substantial difference between responders and nonresponders. Gender distribution showed a greater number of female than male responders. Race distribution showed a greater number and response by white and Asian patients as compared with African Americans. A review of ethnicity showed fewer Hispanics responded. An evaluation by payor classification showed greater number and response rate by those with a commercial or Workers Comp payor source. The response rate by Medicare recipients was stronger than expected; however, the response rate by Medicaid recipients and self-pay could be a concern for underrepresentation by lower socioeconomic groups. Finally, the evaluation of the method of notification showed that notification by both e-mail and text substantially improved response rates. The evaluation of key characteristics showed no difference related to disposition, but differences related to age, gender, race, ethnicity, and payor classification. These results point to a potential concern for underrepresentation by lower socioeconomic groups. The results showed that notification by

Factors associated with syphilis seroreactivity among polydrug users in Northeast Brazil: A cross-sectional study using Respondent Driven Sampling.

PubMed

Baptista, Cremildo João; Dourado, Ines; Brignol, Sandra; Andrade, Tarcísio de Matos; Bastos, Francisco Inácio

2017-01-01

The burden of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), such as syphilis, is higher in low-income countries, with serious consequences and profound impact on sexual and reproductive health and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) spread. Syphilis prevalence tend to be higher among people who misuse drugs than in the general population. To assess syphilis and associated factors among polydrug users (PDU) in the city of Salvador, Northeast Brazil. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 10 Brazilian cities between September and November 2009 using Respondent Driven Sampling (RDS). Participants answered an Audio Computer-Assisted Self Interview (ACASI) and were rapid tested for HIV and syphilis. We performed multivariable regression models for correlates of syphilis on Stata 10.0. Estimates were weighted by the inverse size of the individual social network size and homophily. Mean age was 29.3 years (range: 18-62), 74.0% were males, and 89.8% were non-white. Syphilis prevalence was 16.6%. Females (adjwOR:2.14; 95%CI:1.09-4.20), individuals over 29 years old (adjwOR:4.44; 95%CI:2.41-8.19), those who exchanged sex for money or drugs (adjwOR:3.51; 95%CI:1.84-6.71), "No/low" self-perceived risk of HIV infection (adjwOR:5.13; 95%CI:1.36-19.37), and having nine or less years of education (adjwOR:2.92; 95%CI:1.08-7.88) were associated with syphilis. One of the most pressing needs for syphilis prevention/control is the availability of rapid point-of-care diagnostic tests and treatment. Interventions should be tailored to PDU needs and their multiple burdens as shown in the present study, that may contribute to future studies aiming to better understand the relationships between drug use and syphilis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Vitamin-D Deficiency As a Potential Environmental Risk Factor in Multiple Sclerosis, Schizophrenia, and Autism.

PubMed

Kočovská, Eva; Gaughran, Fiona; Krivoy, Amir; Meier, Ute-Christiane

2017-01-01

In this short review, we want to summarize the current findings on the role of vitamin-D in multiple sclerosis (MS), schizophrenia, and autism. Many studies have highlighted hypovitaminosis-D as a potential environmental risk factor for a variety of conditions such as MS, asthma, cardiovascular disease, and, more recently, psychiatric diseases. However, whether hypovitaminosis-D is a potential causative factor for the development or activity in these conditions or whether hypovitaminosis-D may be due to increased vitamin-D consumption by an activated immune system (reverse causation) is the focus of intense research. Here, we will discuss current evidence exploring the role of vitamin-D in MS, schizophrenia, and autism and its impact on adaptive and innate immunity, antimicrobial defense, the microbiome, neuroinflammation, behavior, and neurogenesis. More work is needed to gain insight into its role in the underlying pathophysiology of these conditions as it may offer attractive means of intervention and prevention.

The Respond/Read/Replicate/Report System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schwartz, Rhea

An effective teaching technique for a university extension course for rural special education teachers is the respond/read/replicate/report system. The four-step system was developed to stimulate tired, beleaguered teachers with differing experiences, knowledgeability, and teaching/learning styles who drove up to 60 miles on country roads to…

Responding Electronically to Student Drafts on Campus: Dis/Encouraging Dialogue?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harran, M.; Knott, A.; Weir, C.

2011-01-01

This article reports on an investigation into whether writing centre (WC) respondents at an institution of Higher Education (HE) encourage or discourage draft dialogue (a conversation in writing) with students submitting drafts electronically to the WC for feedback. The writing respondents insert local feedback responses or comments directly onto…

Agriculture Emergencies: A Primer for First Responders

PubMed Central

Carabin, Hélène; Regens, James L.; Burden, Ray W.

2009-01-01

Over the past several years, the primary focus of emergency preparedness has been on terrorism, and how a CBRNE event would directly affect human health. Limited emphasis has been placed on the direct (eg, zoonotic infections) and indirect (eg, mental health, financial loss) effects that an agricultural emergency event can have on human health outcomes, and how they relate to emergency preparedness. We critically reviewed the resources and information readily accessible to our target audience, emergency responders; the resources included military and civilian books, personal communications, internet sites, GAO reports, and peer-reviewed journals. Among more than 2,000 bioterrorism-related articles, we found 51 that addressed either agroterrorism and/or veterinary public health: 2 cross-sectional studies, 28 review papers, and 21 commentary papers. In order to properly respond to future agriculture emergencies, emergency response professionals need to understand the nature and implications of the event as well as their roles and responsibilities, but the availability of educational and training opportunities is limited. The results of our review are consistent with the hypothesis that more resources, education, and training opportunities should be available to responders as well as to producers, importers and shippers, international travelers, and the general public. Increased education and training will raise awareness among these groups of the relationship between animal and human health. PMID:19635003

Factors Driving Potential Ammonia Oxidation in Canadian Arctic Ecosystems: Does Spatial Scale Matter?

PubMed Central

Banerjee, Samiran

2012-01-01

Ammonia oxidation is a major process in nitrogen cycling, and it plays a key role in nitrogen limited soil ecosystems such as those in the arctic. Although mm-scale spatial dependency of ammonia oxidizers has been investigated, little is known about the field-scale spatial dependency of aerobic ammonia oxidation processes and ammonia-oxidizing archaeal and bacterial communities, particularly in arctic soils. The purpose of this study was to explore the drivers of ammonia oxidation at the field scale in cryosols (soils with permafrost within 1 m of the surface). We measured aerobic ammonia oxidation potential (both autotrophic and heterotrophic) and functional gene abundance (bacterial amoA and archaeal amoA) in 279 soil samples collected from three arctic ecosystems. The variability associated with quantifying genes was substantially less than the spatial variability observed in these soils, suggesting that molecular methods can be used reliably evaluate spatial dependency in arctic ecosystems. Ammonia-oxidizing archaeal and bacterial communities and aerobic ammonia oxidation were spatially autocorrelated. Gene abundances were spatially structured within 4 m, whereas biochemical processes were structured within 40 m. Ammonia oxidation was driven at small scales (<1m) by moisture and total organic carbon, whereas gene abundance and other edaphic factors drove ammonia oxidation at medium (1 to 10 m) and large (10 to 100 m) scales. In these arctic soils heterotrophs contributed between 29 and 47% of total ammonia oxidation potential. The spatial scale for aerobic ammonia oxidation genes differed from potential ammonia oxidation, suggesting that in arctic ecosystems edaphic, rather than genetic, factors are an important control on ammonia oxidation. PMID:22081570

“I Felt Like a Superhero”: The Experience of Responding to Drug Overdose Among Individuals Trained in Overdose Prevention

PubMed Central

Wagner, Karla D.; Davidson, Peter J.; Iverson, Ellen; Washburn, Rachel; Burke, Emily; Kral, Alex H.; McNeeley, Miles; Bloom, Jennifer Jackson; Lankenau, Stephen E.

2013-01-01

Background Overdose prevention programs (OPPs) train people who inject drugs and other community members to prevent, recognise and respond to opioid overdose. However, little is known about the experience of taking up the role of an “overdose responder” for the participants. Methods We present findings from qualitative interviews with 30 participants from two OPPs in Los Angeles, CA, USA from 2010–2011 who had responded to at least one overdose since being trained in overdose prevention and response. Results Being trained by an OPP and responding to overdoses had both positive and negative effects for trained “responders”. Positive effects include an increased sense of control and confidence, feelings of heroism and pride, and a recognition and appreciation of one’s expertise. Negative effects include a sense of burden, regret, fear, and anger, which sometimes led to cutting social ties, but might also be mitigated by the increased empowerment associated with the positive effects. Conclusion Findings suggest that becoming an overdose responder can involve taking up a new social role that has positive effects, but also confers some stress that may require additional support. OPPs should provide flexible opportunities for social support to individuals making the transition to this new and critical social role. Equipping individuals with the skills, technology, and support they need to respond to drug overdose has the potential to confer both individual and community-wide benefits. PMID:23932166

Potential Genetic Risk Factors for Chronic TMD: Genetic Associations from the OPPERA Case Control Study

PubMed Central

Smith, Shad B.; Maixner, Dylan; Greenspan, Joel; Dubner, Ron; Fillingim, Roger; Ohrbach, Richard; Knott, Charles; Slade, Gary; Bair, Eric; Gibson, Dustin G.; Zaykin, Dmitri V.; Weir, Bruce; Maixner, William; Diatchenko, Luda

2011-01-01

Genetic factors play a role in the etiology of persistent pain conditions, putatively by modulating underlying processes such as nociceptive sensitivity, psychological well-being, inflammation, and autonomic response. However, to date, only a few genes have been associated with temporomandibular disorders (TMD). This study evaluated 358 genes involved in pain processes, comparing allelic frequencies between 166 cases with chronic TMD and 1442 controls enrolled in the OPPERA (Orofacial Pain: Prospective Evaluation and Risk Assessment) study cooperative agreement. To enhance statistical power, 182 TMD cases and 170 controls from a similar study were included in the analysis. Genotyping was performed using the Pain Research Panel, an Affymetrix gene chip representing 3295 single nucleotide polymorphisms, including ancestry-informative markers that were used to adjust for population stratification. Adjusted associations between genetic markers and TMD case status were evaluated using logistic regression. The OPPERA findings provided evidence supporting previously-reported associations between TMD and two genes: HTR2A and COMT. Other genes were revealed as potential new genetic risk factors for TMD, including NR3C1, CAMK4, CHRM2, IFRD1, and GRK5. While these findings need to be replicated in independent cohorts, the genes potentially represent important markers of risk for TMD and they identify potential targets for therapeutic intervention. PMID:22074755

The Hv1 proton channel responds to mechanical stimuli.

PubMed

Pathak, Medha M; Tran, Truc; Hong, Liang; Joós, Béla; Morris, Catherine E; Tombola, Francesco

2016-11-01

The voltage-gated proton channel, Hv1, is expressed in tissues throughout the body and plays important roles in pH homeostasis and regulation of NADPH oxidase. Hv1 operates in membrane compartments that experience strong mechanical forces under physiological or pathological conditions. In microglia, for example, Hv1 activity is potentiated by cell swelling and causes an increase in brain damage after stroke. The channel complex consists of two proton-permeable voltage-sensing domains (VSDs) linked by a cytoplasmic coiled-coil domain. Here, we report that these VSDs directly respond to mechanical stimuli. We find that membrane stretch facilitates Hv1 channel opening by increasing the rate of activation and shifting the steady-state activation curve to less depolarized potentials. In the presence of a transmembrane pH gradient, membrane stretch alone opens the channel without the need for strong depolarizations. The effect of membrane stretch persists for several minutes after the mechanical stimulus is turned off, suggesting that the channel switches to a "facilitated" mode in which opening occurs more readily and then slowly reverts to the normal mode observed in the absence of membrane stretch. Conductance simulations with a six-state model recapitulate all the features of the channel's response to mechanical stimulation. Hv1 mechanosensitivity thus provides a mechanistic link between channel activation in microglia and brain damage after stroke. © 2016 Pathak et al.

Use of tissue adhesive as a field expedient barrier dressing for hand wounds in disaster responders.

PubMed

Levy, Matthew J; Tang, Nelson

2014-02-01

Injuries sustained by disaster responders can impede the affected individuals' ability to perform critical functions and often require the redirection of already scarce resources. Soft-tissue injuries to the hand are commonly experienced by disaster workers and even seemingly mild lacerations can pose the potential for significant complications in such hazard-filled environments. In this report, the authors describe their experience utilizing tissue adhesive to create a functional and effective barrier dressing for a hand injury sustained by a responder at the West, Texas USA fertilizer plant explosion. This technique of wound management allowed the patient to continue performing essential onsite functions for a sustained period following the explosion and the subsequent investigative processes. At the 30-day follow-up, the wound was well healed and without complications. This technique proved to be a valuable method of field expedient wound management and is worthy of consideration in similar future circumstances.

"Responding to Climate Change" Course: Research Integration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pfirman, S. L.; Bowman, J. S.

2015-12-01

The "Responding to Climate Change" Barnard/Columbia course integrates current research as well as hands-on research-based activities modified for a classroom environment. The course covers the major response themes of adaptation, mitigation and communication. In the spring of 2015 the course was oriented around Arctic and Antarctic case studies. Each week a different theme is addressed, such as the physical setting, changing ecosystems, governance issues, perspectives of residents and indigenous peoples, geoengineering, commercial interests, security, and health and developmental issues. Frequent guest lectures from thematic experts keep the course grounded in realities and present the students with cutting edge issues. Activities match the weekly theme, for example during the week on Arctic development, students engage with the marine spatial planning simulation Arctic SMARTIC (Strategic Management of Resources in Times of Change) based on research on Arctic sea ice trends and projections coupled with current and projected developmental interests of stakeholders. Created under the Polar Learning and Responding: PoLAR Climate Change Education Partnership (thepolarhub.org), a complete set of SMARTIC resources is available on line for use by others (http://www.camelclimatechange.org/view/article/175297/). The Responding to Climate Change course is designed to be current and respond to events. For the Arctic case study, students developed proposals for the US State Department as the upcoming Chair of the Arctic Council. Student evaluations indicated that they appreciated the opportunity to connect science with policy and presentation of preliminary proposals in a workshop format was valued as a way to develop and hone their ideas. An additional finding was that students were surprisingly tolerant of technical issues when guest lecturers were linked in via Skype, allowing interaction with thematic experts across the US. Students commented positively on this exposure to

30 CFR 250.268 - How does MMS respond to recommendations?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false How does MMS respond to recommendations? 250.268 Section 250.268 Mineral Resources MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE... Decision Process for the Dpp Or Docd § 250.268 How does MMS respond to recommendations? (a) Governor. The...

[Potential role of the angiogenic factor "EG-VEGF" in gestational trophoblastic diseases].

PubMed

Boufettal, H; Feige, J-J; Benharouga, M; Aboussaouira, T; Nadifi, S; Mahdaoui, S; Samouh, N; Alfaidy, N

2013-10-01

Gestational trophoblastic disease (MGT) includes a wide spectrum of pathologies of the placenta, ranging from benign precancerous lesions, with gestational trophoblastic tumors. Metastases are the leading causes of death as a result of this tumor. They represent a major problem for obstetrics and for the public health system. To date, there is no predictor of the progression of molar pregnancies to gestational trophoblastic tumor (GTT). Only an unfavorable plasma hCG monitoring after evacuation of hydatidiform mole is used to diagnose a TTG. The causes of the development of this cancer are still poorly understood. Increasing data in the literature suggests a close association between the development of this tumor and poor placental vascularization during the first trimester of pregnancy. The development of the human placenta depends on a coordination between the trophoblast and endothelial cells. A disruption in the expression of angiogenic factors could contribute to uterine or extra-uterine tissue invasion by extravillous trophoblast, contributing to the development of TTG. This review sheds lights on the phenomenon of angiogenesis during normal and abnormal placentation, especially during the MGT and reports preliminary finding concerning, the variability of expression of "Endocrine Gland-Derived Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor" (EG-VEGF), a specific placental angiogenic factor, in normal and molar placentas, and the potential role of differentiated expressions of the main placental angiogenic factors in the scalability of hydatidiform moles towards a recovery or towards the development of gestational trophoblastic tumor. Deciphering the mechanisms by which the angiogenic factor influences these processes will help understand the pathophysiology of MGT and to create opportunities for early diagnosis and treatment of the latter. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Potential risk factors associated with human alveolar echinococcosis: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Conraths, Franz J; Probst, Carolina; Possenti, Alessia; Boufana, Belgees; Saulle, Rosella; La Torre, Giuseppe; Busani, Luca; Casulli, Adriano

2017-07-01

Human alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is a severe zoonotic disease caused by the metacestode stage of Echinococcus multilocularis. AE is commonly associated with a long incubation period that may last for more than ten years. The objective of this systematic literature review was to identify and summarize the current knowledge on statistically relevant potential risk factors (PRFs) associated with AE in humans. Six bibliographic databases were searched, generating a total of 1,009 publications. Following the removal of duplicate records and the exclusion of papers that failed to meet the criteria of a previously agreed a priori protocol, 23 publications were retained; however, 6 of these did not contain data in a format that allowed their inclusion in the meta-analysis. The remaining 17 publications (6 case-control and 11 cross-sectional studies) were meta-analysed to investigate associations between AE and PRFs. Pooled odds ratios (OR) were used as a measure of effect and separately analysed for case-control and cross-sectional studies. In the case-control studies, the following PRFs for human AE showed higher odds of outcome: "dog ownership", "cat ownership", "have a kitchen garden", "occupation: farmer", "haymaking in meadows not adjacent to water", "went to forests for vocational reasons", "chewed grass" and "hunting / handling foxes". In the cross-sectional studies, the following PRFs showed higher odds of outcome: "dog ownership", "play with dogs", "gender: female", "age over 20 years", "ethnic group: Tibetan", "low income", "source of drinking water other than well or tap", "occupation: herding" and "low education". Our meta-analysis confirmed that the chance of AE transmission through ingestion of food and water contaminated with E. multilocularis eggs exists, but showed also that food- and water-borne PRFs do not significantly increase the risk of infection. This systematic review analysed international peer-reviewed articles that have over the years

Platelet-activating factor and group I metabotropic glutamate receptors interact for full development and maintenance of long-term potentiation in the rat medial vestibular nuclei.

PubMed

Grassi, S; Francescangeli, E; Goracci, G; Pettorossi, V E

1999-01-01

In rat brainstem slices, we investigated the interaction between platelet-activating factor and group I metabotropic glutamate receptors in mediating long-term potentiation within the medial vestibular nuclei. We analysed the N1 field potential wave evoked in the ventral portion of the medial vestibular nuclei by primary vestibular afferent stimulation. The group I metabotropic glutamate receptor antagonist, (R,S)-1-aminoindan-1,5-dicarboxylic acid, prevented long-term potentiation induced by a platelet-activating factor analogue [1-O-hexadecyl-2-O-(methylcarbamyl)-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine], as well as the full development of potentiation, induced by high-frequency stimulation under the blocking agent for synaptosomal platelet-activating factor receptors (ginkolide B), at drug washout. However, potentiation directly induced by the group I glutamate metabotropic receptor agonist, (R,S)-3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine, was reduced by ginkolide B. These findings suggest that platelet-activating factor, whether exogenous or released following potentiation induction, exerts its effect through presynaptic group I metabotropic glutamate receptors, mediating the increase of glutamate release. In addition, we found that this mechanism, which led to full potentiation through presynaptic group I metabotropic glutamate receptor activation, was inactivated soon after application of potentiation-inducing stimulus. In fact, the long-lasting block of the platelet-activating factor and metabotropic glutamate receptors prevented the full potentiation development and the induced potentiation progressively declined to null. Moreover, ginkolide B, given when high-frequency-dependent potentiation was established, only reduced it within 5 min after potentiation induction. We conclude that to fully develop vestibular long-term potentiation requires presynaptic events. Platelet-activating factor, released after the activation of postsynaptic mechanisms which induce potentiation, is necessary

Thromboembolism after WATCHMANTM in a clopidogrel non-responder: A case for concern?

PubMed

Venkataraman, Ganesh; Bliden, Kevin P; Tantry, Udaya S; Gurbel, Paul A

2017-11-11

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with an increased risk of stroke and thromboembolism (TE). The WATCHMAN TM left atrial appendage (LAA) closure device is indicated to reduce the risk of TE from the LAA in patients with non-valvular AF. Here, we present a case of a patient with device-related thrombus who suffered a TE event two months after WATCHMAN TM LAA closure and two weeks after switching from aspirin plus warfarin to aspirin plus clopidogrel therapy. Laboratory investigation identified the patient to be hypercoagulable and to be a non-responder to clopidogrel therapy. We discuss the potential role of platelet function testing to prevent device-related thrombi. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Letter on Decontamination and First Responder Liability

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Addresses liability of hazardous materials incident responders for spreading contamination while attempting to save lives, and the acceptable level of contamination that could enter the Chesapeake Bay without being considered a threat to the ecosystem.

30 CFR 550.268 - How does BOEM respond to recommendations?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false How does BOEM respond to recommendations? 550.268 Section 550.268 Mineral Resources BUREAU OF OCEAN ENERGY MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR... Decision Process for the Dpp Or Docd § 550.268 How does BOEM respond to recommendations? (a) Governor. The...

30 CFR 550.268 - How does BOEM respond to recommendations?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false How does BOEM respond to recommendations? 550.268 Section 550.268 Mineral Resources BUREAU OF OCEAN ENERGY MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR... Decision Process for the Dpp Or Docd § 550.268 How does BOEM respond to recommendations? (a) Governor. The...

Increasing Poverty: How Do Leaders in One Suburban District Respond?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spencer, Jennifer Dawn

2014-01-01

This dissertation addresses the question of how suburban school district leaders in one large Midwestern school district respond to increasing student poverty. The purpose of this study was to determine how suburban school district leaders respond to increasing student poverty in their decision making and actions. Data for this study came from one…

Farm Mapping to Assist, Protect, and Prepare Emergency Responders: Farm MAPPER.

PubMed

Reyes, Iris; Rollins, Tami; Mahnke, Andrea; Kadolph, Christopher; Minor, Gerald; Keifer, Matthew

2014-01-01

Responders such as firefighters and emergency medical technicians who respond to farm emergencies often face complex and unknown environments. They may encounter hazards such as fuels, solvents, pesticides, caustics, and exploding gas storage cylinders. Responders may be unaware of dirt roads within the farm that can expedite their arrival at critical sites or snow-covered manure pits that act as hidden hazards. A response to a farm, unless guided by someone familiar with the operation, may present a risk to responders and post a challenge in locating the victim. This project explored the use of a Web-based farm-mapping application optimized for tablets and accessible via easily accessible on-site matrix barcodes, or quick response codes (QR codes), to provide emergency responders with hazard and resource information to agricultural operations. Secured portals were developed for both farmers and responders, allowing both parties to populate and customize farm maps with icons. Data were stored online and linked to QR codes attached to mailbox posts where emergency responders may read them with a mobile device. Mock responses were conducted on dairy farms to test QR code linking efficacy, Web site security, and field usability. Findings from farmer usability tests showed willingness to enter data as well as ease of Web site navigation and data entry even with farmers who had limited computer knowledge. Usability tests with emergency responders showed ease of QR code connectivity to the farm maps and ease of Web site navigation. Further research is needed to improve data security as well as assess the program's applicability to nonfarm environments and integration with existing emergency response systems. The next phases of this project will expand the program for regional and national use, develop QR code-linked, Web-based extrication guidance for farm machinery for victim entrapment rescue, and create QR code-linked online training videos and materials for limited

Potentially modifiable lifestyle factors, cognitive reserve, and cognitive function in later life: A cross-sectional study

PubMed Central

Wu, Yu-Tzu

2017-01-01

Background Potentially modifiable lifestyle factors may influence cognitive health in later life and offer potential to reduce the risk of cognitive decline and dementia. The concept of cognitive reserve has been proposed as a mechanism to explain individual differences in rates of cognitive decline, but its potential role as a mediating pathway has seldom been explored using data from large epidemiological studies. We explored the mediating effect of cognitive reserve on the cross-sectional association between lifestyle factors and cognitive function in later life using data from a population-based cohort of healthy older people. Methods and findings We analysed data from 2,315 cognitively healthy participants aged 65 y and over in the Cognitive Function and Ageing Study Wales (CFAS-Wales) cohort collected in 2011–2013. Linear regression modelling was used to investigate the overall associations between five lifestyle factors—cognitive and social activity, physical activity, diet, alcohol consumption, and smoking—and cognition, adjusting for demographic factors and chronic conditions. Mediation analysis tested for indirect effects of the lifestyle factors on cognition via cognitive reserve. After controlling for age, gender, and the presence of chronic conditions, cognitive and social activity, physical activity, healthy diet, and light-to-moderate alcohol consumption were positively associated with cognitive function, together accounting for 20% (95% CI 17%–23%) of variance in cognitive test scores. Cognitive reserve was an important mediator of this association, with indirect effects via cognitive reserve contributing 21% (95% CI 15%–27%) of the overall effect on cognition. The main limitations of the study derive from the cross-sectional nature of the data and the challenges of accurately measuring the latent construct of cognitive reserve. Conclusions Cross-sectional associations support the view that enhancing cognitive reserve may benefit cognition

Receptor for macrophage colony-stimulating factor transduces a signal decreasing erythroid potential in the multipotent hematopoietic EML cell line.

PubMed

Pawlak, G; Grasset, M F; Arnaud, S; Blanchet, J P; Mouchiroud, G

2000-10-01

To test the hypothesis that hematopoietic growth factors may influence lineage choice in pluripotent progenitor cells, we investigated the effects of macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) on erythroid and myeloid potentials of multipotent EML cells ectopically expressing M-CSF receptor (M-CSFR). EML cells are stem cell factor (SCF)-dependent murine cells that give rise spontaneously to pre-B cells, burst-forming unit erythroid (BFU-E), and colony-forming unit granulocyte macrophage (CFU-GM). We determined BFU-E and CFU-GM frequencies among EML cells transduced with murine M-CSFR, human M-CSFR, or chimeric receptors, and cultivated in the presence of SCF, M-CSF, or both growth factors. Effects of specific inhibitors of signaling molecules were investigated. EML cells transduced with murine M-CSFR proliferated in response to M-CSF but also exhibited a sharp and rapid decrease in BFU-E frequency associated with an increase in CFU-GM frequency. In contrast, EML cells expressing human M-CSFR proliferated in response to M-CSF without any changes in erythroid or myeloid potential. Using chimeric receptors between human and murine M-CSFR, we showed that the effects of M-CSF on EML cell differentiation potential are mediated by a large region in the intracellular domain of murine M-CSFR. Furthermore, phospholipase C (PLC) inhibitor U73122 interfered with the negative effects of ligand-activated murine M-CSFR on EML cell erythroid potential. We propose that signaling pathways activated by tyrosine kinase receptors may regulate erythroid potential and commitment decisions in multipotent progenitor cells and that PLC may play a key role in this process.

Medical education, social responsibility and praxis: Responding to the needs of all children

PubMed Central

Martimianakis, Maria Athina

2016-01-01

While poverty is a recognized risk factor for ill health, directly intervening on the effects of poverty has traditionally been considered to fall outside the realm of a physician’s daily practice. Yet, to appropriately respond to the health needs of all children, we have the social responsibility to help our trainees become competent health advocates. Experiential learning approaches can be used to aid students in developing identities and competencies as health advocates. Experiencing illness outside the sterility of the clinic, from the patient’s point of view, encourages students to seek the knowledge they need to care for patients who are disenfranchised, socially vulnerable and/or marginalized. PMID:27441019

Medical education, social responsibility and praxis: Responding to the needs of all children.

PubMed

Martimianakis, Maria Athina

2016-01-01

While poverty is a recognized risk factor for ill health, directly intervening on the effects of poverty has traditionally been considered to fall outside the realm of a physician's daily practice. Yet, to appropriately respond to the health needs of all children, we have the social responsibility to help our trainees become competent health advocates. Experiential learning approaches can be used to aid students in developing identities and competencies as health advocates. Experiencing illness outside the sterility of the clinic, from the patient's point of view, encourages students to seek the knowledge they need to care for patients who are disenfranchised, socially vulnerable and/or marginalized.

A uniform bacterial growth potential assay for different water types.

PubMed

Farhat, Nadia; Hammes, Frederik; Prest, Emmanuelle; Vrouwenvelder, Johannes

2018-06-06

The bacterial growth potential is important to understand and manage bacterial regrowth-related water quality concerns. Bacterial growth potential depends on growth promoting/limiting compounds, therefore, nutrient availability is the key factor governing bacterial growth potential. Selecting proper tools for bacterial growth measurement is essential for routine implementation of the growth potential measurement. This study proposes a growth potential assay that is universal and can be used for different water types and soil extract without restrictions of pure culture or cultivability of the bacterial strain. The proposed assay measures the sample bacterial growth potential by using the indigenous community as inocula. Flow cytometry (FCM) and adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP) were used to evaluate the growth potential of six different microbial communities indigenous to the sample being analyzed, with increasing carbon concentrations. Bottled mineral water, non-chlorinated tap water, seawater, river water, wastewater effluent and a soil organic carbon extract were analyzed. Results showed that indigenous bacterial communities followed normal batch growth kinetics when grown on naturally present organic carbon. Indigenous bacterial growth could detect spiked organic carbon concentrations as low as 10 μg/L. The indigenous community in all samples responded proportionally to the increase in acetate-carbon and proportional growth could be measured with both FCM and ATP. Bacterial growth was proportional to the carbon concentration but not the same proportion factor for the different water samples tested. The effect of inoculating the same water with different indigenous microbial communities on the growth potential was also examined. The FCM results showed that the highest increase in total bacterial cell concentration was obtained with bacteria indigenous to the water sample. The growth potential assay using indigenous bacterial community revealed consistent results

22 CFR 303.14 - Procedures for responding to a subpoena.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 2 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Procedures for responding to a subpoena. 303.14 Section 303.14 Foreign Relations PEACE CORPS PROCEDURES FOR DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT § 303.14 Procedures for responding to a subpoena. (a) Purpose and scope. (1) This part sets...

22 CFR 303.14 - Procedures for responding to a subpoena.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 2 2011-04-01 2009-04-01 true Procedures for responding to a subpoena. 303.14 Section 303.14 Foreign Relations PEACE CORPS PROCEDURES FOR DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT § 303.14 Procedures for responding to a subpoena. (a) Purpose and scope. (1) This part sets...

c-Met in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: an independent prognostic factor and potential therapeutic target.

PubMed

Ozawa, Yohei; Nakamura, Yasuhiro; Fujishima, Fumiyoshi; Felizola, Saulo J A; Takeda, Kenichiro; Okamoto, Hiroshi; Ito, Ken; Ishida, Hirotaka; Konno, Takuro; Kamei, Takashi; Miyata, Go; Ohuchi, Noriaki; Sasano, Hironobu

2015-06-03

c-Met is widely known as a poor prognostic factor in various human malignancies. Previous studies have suggested the involvement of c-Met and/or its ligand, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), but the correlation between c-Met status and clinical outcome remains unclear. Furthermore, the identification of a novel molecular therapeutic target might potentially help improve the clinical outcome of ESCC patients. The expression of c-Met and HGF was immunohistochemically assessed in 104 surgically obtained tissue specimens. The correlation between c-Met/HGF expression and patients' clinicopathological features, including survival, was evaluated. We also investigated changes in cell functions and protein expression of c-Met and its downstream signaling pathway components under treatments with HGF and/or c-Met inhibitor in ESCC cell lines. Elevated expression of c-Met was significantly correlated with tumor depth and pathological stage. Patients with high c-Met expression had significantly worse survival. In addition, multivariate analysis identified the high expression of c-Met as an independent prognostic factor. Treatment with c-Met inhibitor under HGF stimulation significantly inhibited the invasive capacity of an ESCC cell line with elevated c-Met mRNA expression. Moreover, c-Met and its downstream signaling inactivation was also detected after treatment with c-Met inhibitor. The results of our study identified c-Met expression as an independent prognostic factor in ESCC patients and demonstrated that c-Met could be a potential molecular therapeutic target for the treatment of ESCC with elevated c-Met expression.