Genetic and environmental contributions to strabismus and phoria: Evidence from twins

AbstractThe causes of manifest (strabismus) and latent (phoria) misalignment of the visual axes are incompletely understood. We calculated genetic and environmental contributions to strabismus based upon a critical review and quantitative meta-analysis of previous strabismus twin studies (n=3418 twin pairs) and calculated contributions to phoria based upon a new twin study (n=307 twin pairs). Our results suggest that genetic liability is necessary to develop strabismus, whereas environmental factors are sufficient to cause most phorias. The different etiologies implied by this work suggest that strabismus and phoria should be carefully distinguished in epidemiological work

The concentrating of organisms at fronts: A cold-water fish and a warm-core Gulf Stream ring

Net hauls made in and around a warm-core Gulf Stream ring in April and June 1982 suggest a concentrating of the mesopelagic fish Benthosema glaciale (family Myctophidae) in the frontal zone at the east edge of the ring. In April, Benthosema was found in very small numbers in the two-month old ring, as was to be expected from the subpolar-temperate distribution of this fish and the warm-water origin and age of the ring. By June, age-0 fish had been recruited to the population susceptible to capture by the midwater trawl. These young fish were about five times as abundant at the frontal zone of the ring and about twice as abundant in the ring center as in the adjacent Slope Water. It is proposed that the increased abundance at the ring front results from a concentrating of the original Slope Water population by convergence. The increase of B. glaciale in the center of the ring may be associated with the inwardly spiralling streamers observed in satellite images.A simple advection/diffusion model for both the fish and a passive tracer of the fluid is used to consider a mechanism that might have concentrated the fish at the ring edge. It is assumed that the fish can counter the vertical flow in order to maintain their preferred depth. Swimming in the horizontal is assumed to be random. The result of this behavior is that the fish and the passive tracer are affected differently in flow fields such as those in rings. Solutions to the model equations lead to the conclusion that the abundance of fish at the ring front can be accounted for by convergence. The model and the divergence pattern in the ring, calculated from hydrographic data, show the time necessary to effect the hundred-fold increase in abundance that was observed in the ring front between April and June to be on the order of two weeks to a month. We suggest that the concentrating mechanism described is widely applicable to a variety of frontal phenomena and to a variety of planktonic plants and animals

Charitable Giving for Overseas Development: UK trends over a quarter century

Charitable giving is an important source of funding for overseas development and emergency relief. Donations in the UK are about a quarter of the size of government development aid. There has been strong growth over time, reflecting the activities of development charities and the public response to humanitarian emergencies. The paper examines how this charitable giving has changed since 1978, using a newly constructed panel data set on donations to individual UK charities. When did the increase take place? Did the public respond to events such as Live Aid or has there been a steady upward trend? What has been the relationship with changes in household income? Which charities have grown fastest? Have new charities displaced old? How do changes in giving for overseas compare with changes in giving for other causes?charitable giving, overseas development

Examining the role of MEDLINE as a patient care information resource: an analysis of data from the Value of Libraries study

Objective: This study analyzed data from a study on the value of libraries to understand the specific role that the MEDLINE database plays in relation to other information resources that are available to health care providers and its role in positively impacting patient care.Methods: A previous study on the use of health information resources for patient care obtained 16,122 responses from health care providers in 56 hospitals about how providers make decisions affecting patient care and the role of information resources in that process. Respondents indicated resources used in answering a specific clinical question from a list of 19 possible resources, including MEDLINE. Study data were examined using descriptive statistics and regression analysis to determine the number of information resources used and how they were used in combination with one another.Results: Health care professionals used 3.5 resources, on average, to aid in patient care. The 2 most frequently used resources were journals (print and online) and the MEDLINE database. Using a higher number of information resources was significantly associated with a higher probability of making changes to patient care and avoiding adverse events. MEDLINE was the most likely to be among consulted resources compared to any other information resource other than journals.Conclusions: MEDLINE is a critical clinical care tool that health care professionals use to avoid adverse events, make changes to patient care, and answer clinical questions

Underwater camera positioning by sonar

Originally issued as Reference No. 60-17A pulse sonar system is described for measuring the height above the bottom of an underwater camera and other equipment in the deep oceans. Using this method, cameras have been positioned for photography at depths to about 2,500 fathoms with a precision of about half a fathom. The measurement is achieved by a sonar "pinger" on the equipment, which sends precise 1 pulse-per- second signals to the surface both directly and by reflection from the bottom.Undersea Warfare Branch, Office of Naval Research Under Contract Nonr-1367(00) (NR-261-102