Differential Pollen‐Tube Growth Rates And Nonrandom Fertilization In Hibiscus Moscheutos (Malvaceae)

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141504/1/ajb212608.pd

Reducing Hospital Readmissions in New York State: A Simulation Analysis of Alternative Payment Incentives

Examines strategies to reduce hospital readmissions, including improving discharge processes, post-discharge support, and payment incentives. Estimates payers' and hospitals' cost savings from pay-for-performance and episode-based payments

How We Can Pay for Health Care Reform

Describes savings and revenue sources and policies to reduce healthcare spending that could finance comprehensive reform with a public option, such as reducing physician and hospital payments, investing in prevention programs, and capping tax exclusions

Recovery of Nerve Function after Treatment for Childhood Cancer

Background Chemotherapeutic agents have been the backbone treatment for pediatric cancers. Unfortunately, a number of the chemotherapy medications have potential side effects, including chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). To measure the extent of CIPN, the Pediatric Modified Total Neuropathy Score (Peds-mTNS) has been shown to be a reliable and valid measure of CIPN in school-aged children and is associated with relevant functional limitations. However, future research is needed to describe the recovery of CIPN in children and adolescent cancer patients after treatment has ended. Purpose To analyze the trajectory of recovery for CIPN in school-aged children diagnosed with non-CNS cancers and to evaluate if diagnosis and treatment impact CIPN type and recovery. Methods Forty-seven subjects ranging in age from 5-18 years undergoing chemotherapy with vincristine or a combination of vincristine and intrathecal methotrexate participated in the study. Peds-mTNS scores as well as standardized balance and hand function measures were taken on treatment (at the anticipated peak of CIPN) and then 3 and 6 months post treatment. Descriptive statistics and one-way repeated measures ANOVA were run to compare subjects over time (on treatment, 3 months, and 6 months post). A 2-way III repeated measures ANOVA was run to compare mean Peds-mTNS scores for each diagnostic group over time. Results 18 subjects with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), 8 with Wilma’ tumor, 14 with non/Hodgkin’s lymphoma and 7 with other non-CNS cancers were evaluated. Across all subjects (n=47), Peds-mTNS scores decreased significantly over time (on treatment 9.5± 4.4, 3 months 5.8 ± 4.7, 6 months 4.3 ± 4.0, p\u3c 0.001), indicating an improvement in CIPN. Overall effect size, with Partial Eta Squared, was found to be large (0.609). Greatest individual measure effect size was shown in deep tendon reflex (.659). Of the diagnostic groups, patients with Hodgkin’s lymphoma were found to have significantly less improvement on the Peds-mTNS than subjects with leukemia (6.4 ± 0.7 vs 2.2 ± 0.6 at 6 months, p\u3c0.05), even though their treatment time was shorter in duration and they received less vincristine. Conclusion Overall, the trajectory of recovery for pediatric cancer patients was found to be positive, resulting in significant improvements in CIPN symptoms over time post-treatment, although patients with Hodgkin’s lymphoma were more likely to have residual neuropathy

Predicting the degradation rate as a function of drug load in solid-state drug products

A model for predicting the rate of degradation as a function of drug load was recently developed (J. Pharm. Sci., 101(11), 2012, 4170‑4177). In this case study, we explore both the mathematical model as well as the conceptual construct from which the model was developed. We applied the model to a formulated product of varying drug loads. Our results not only confirm the validity of the mathematical model, but also call into question the proposed conceptual construct. We will discuss the generality of the model and how the use of this model can speed development of lower dose drug formulations typically found in pediatric dosing regimens

Benefit Plan Cybersecurity Considerations: A Recordkeeper and Plan Perspective

The U.S. has no comprehensive national law governing cybersecurity and no uniform framework for measuring the effectiveness of protections, though retirement plan record keepers maintain the personally identifiable information on millions of workers, collecting names, birth dates, social security numbers, and beneficiaries. Plan sponsors frequently engage consultants and attorneys to help them secure sensitive data, but more work is necessary to engage a larger discussion around this issue. The SPARK Institute has outlined a flexible approach for an independent third-party reporting of cyber security capabilities with several key control objectives

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MUSCULOSKELETAL STRENGTH, PHYSIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS, AND KNEE KINESTHESIA FOLLOWING FATIGUING EXERCISE

Fatiguing exercise may result in impaired functional joint stability and increased risk of unintentional injury. While there are several musculoskeletal and physiological characteristics related to fatigue onset, their relationship with proprioceptive changes following fatigue has not been examined. The purpose of this study was to establish the relationship between musculoskeletal and physiological characteristics and changes in proprioception, measured by threshold to detect passive motion (TTDPM), following fatiguing exercise. Twenty, physically active females participated (age: 28.65 ± 5.6 years, height: 165.6 ± 4.3 cm, weight: 61.8 ± 8.0 kg, BMI: 22.5± 2.3 kg/m2, BF: 23.3 ± 5.4%). During Visit 1, subjects completed an exercise history and 24-hour dietary questionnaire, and body composition, TTDPM familiarization, isokinetic knee strength, and maximal oxygen uptake/lactate threshold assessments. During Visit 2, subjects completed TTDPM and isometric knee strength testing prior to and following a fatiguing exercise protocol. Wilcoxon signed rank tests determined TTDPM and isometric knee strength changes from pre- to post- fatigue. Spearman’s rho correlation coefficients determined the relationship between strength and physiological variables with pre- to post-fatigue changes in TTDPM and with pre-fatigue and post-fatigue TTDPM in extension and flexion (α=0.05). No significant differences were demonstrated from pre-fatigue to post-fatigue TTDPM despite a significant decrease in isometric knee flexion strength (P<0.01) and flexion/extension ratio (P<0.05) following fatigue. No significant correlations were observed between strength or physiological variables and changes in TTDPM from pre- to post-fatigue in extension or flexion. Flexion/extension ratio was significantly correlated with pre-fatigue TTDPM in extension (r=-0.231, P<0.05). Peak oxygen uptake was significantly correlated with pre-fatigue (r=-0.500, P<0.01) and post-fatigue (r=-0.520, P<0.05) TTDPM in extension. No significant relationships were demonstrated between musculoskeletal and physiological characteristics and changes in TTDPM following fatigue. The results suggest that highly trained individuals may have better proprioception, and that the high fitness level of subjects in this investigation may have contributed to absence of TTDPM deficits following fatigue despite reaching a high level of perceptual and physiological fatigue. Future studies should consider various subject populations, other musculoskeletal strength characteristics, and different modalities of proprioception to determine the most important contributions to proprioceptive changes following fatigue

Troubleshooting of Sub-synchronous Torsional Interaction Phenomena on an Electric Motor-Driven Centrifugal Compressor

Case StudyThis case study discusses the identification, troubleshooting, and correction of a torsional instability in an electric motor-driven driveline with variable frequency drive (VFD) for a high-pressure gas compressor test facility permanently installed at SwRI. A torsional instability was identified on the gearbox high-speed shaft at speeds when the VFD output (line) frequency met or exceeded the torsional natural frequency of the train. The issue was resolved by changing to sensorless vector control in the VFD instead of voltage/frequency control. In the literature, this change was not observed

Plato on Well-Being

Plato's dialogues use several terms for the concept of well-being, which concept plays a central ethical role as the ultimate goal for action and a central political role as the proper aim for states. But the dialogues also reveal sharp debate about what human well-being is. I argue that they endorse a Socratic conception of well-being as virtuous activity, by considering and rejecting several alternatives, including an ordinary conception that lists a variety of goods, a Protagorean conception that identifies one's well-being with what appears one to be one's well-being, and hedonistic conceptions