Annual Summary of Vital Statistics-1998

Most vital statistics indicators of the health of Americans were stable or showed modest improvements between 1997 and 1998. The preliminary birth rate in 1998 was 14.6 births per 1000 population, up slightly from the record low reported for 1997 (14.5). The fertility rate, births per 1000 women aged 15 to 44 years, increased 1% to 65.6 in 1998, compared with 65.0 in 1997. The 1998 increases, although modest, were the first since 1990, halting the steady decline in the number of births and birth and fertility rates in the 1990s. Fertility rates for total white, non-Hispanic white, and Native American women each increased from 1% to 2% in 1998. The fertility rate for black women declined 19% from 1990 to 1996, but has changed little since 1996. The rate for Hispanic women, which dropped 2%, was lower than in any year for which national data have been available. Birth rates for women 30 years or older continued to increase. The proportion of births to unmarried women remained about the same at one third. The birth rate for teen mothers declined again for the seventh consecutive year, and the use of timely prenatal care (82.8%) improved for the ninth consecutive year, especially for black (73.3%) and Hispanic (74.3%) mothers. The number and rate of multiple births continued their dramatic rise; the number of triplet and higher-order multiple births jumped 16% between 1996 and 1997, accounting, in part, for the slight increase in the percentage of low birth weight (LBW) births. LBW continued to increase from 1997 to 1998 to 7.6%. The infant mortality rate (IMR) was unchanged from 1997 to 1998 (7.2 per 1000 live births). The ratio of the IMR among black infants to that for white infants (2.4)remained the same in 1998 as in 1997. Racial differences in infant mortality remain a major public health concern. In 1997, 65% of all infant deaths occurred to the 7.5% of infants born LBW. Among all of the states, Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire had the lowest IMRs. State-by-state differences in IMR reflect racial composition, the percentage LBW, and birth weight-specific neonatal mortality rate for each state. The United States continues to rank poorly in international comparisons of infant mortality. Expectation of life at birth increased slightly to 76.7 years for all gender and race groups combined. Death rates in the United States continue to decline, including a drop in mortality from human immunodeficiency virus. The age-adjusted death rate for suicide declined 6% in 1998; homicide declined 14%. Death rates for children from all major causes declined again in 1998. A large proportion of childhood deaths, however, continue to occur as a result of preventable injuries.https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/104/6/1229.abstract?sso=1&sso_redirect_count=1&nfstatus=401&nftoken=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000&nfstatusdescription=ERROR%3a+No+local+toke

The Vehicle, Fall 2007

Table of Contents Is This Thing On?Nichole D\u27Antoniopage 1 Death Came KnockingJacob Dawsonpage 5 Awaiting DecemberRebecca Griffithpage 9 ginamarieElizabeth Hoodpage 11 She LongsJennifer O\u27Neilpage 12 ForgottenStephanie Drozdpage 13 Art House WomanGreg Harrellpage 14 Young Woman OlderAmanda Vealepage 15 FirstRebecca Griffithpage 17 FlowJacob Dawsonpage 19 Am Animal AwareDanielle Meyerpage 20 Geneva 04\u27Stephanie Guyerpage 21 Poland, 1942.Jennifer O\u27Neilpage 22 Witness to the Atrophy of ForestsDanielle Meyerpage 23 Helvellyn IJacob Fosterpage 24 Three Out of Five Ain\u27t BadThomas McElweepage 25 FarceAmanda Vealepage 31 Strength of EmotionJennifer O\u27Neilpage 32 About the Authors Art Submissions Prerequisite for a RequiemJenna Smithcover Girl 3Jenna Smithpage 14 ManJenna Smithpage 16 Give Peace a ChanceMegan Mathypage 16 GraceJennifer O\u27Neilpage 20 Oh, the Places You\u27ll Go!Megan Mathypage 23https://thekeep.eiu.edu/vehicle/1086/thumbnail.jp

The Vehicle, Fall 2007

Table of Contents Is This Thing On?Nichole D\u27Antoniopage 1 Death Came KnockingJacob Dawsonpage 5 Awaiting DecemberRebecca Griffithpage 9 ginamarieElizabeth Hoodpage 11 She LongsJennifer O\u27Neilpage 12 ForgottenStephanie Drozdpage 13 Art House WomanGreg Harrellpage 14 Young Woman OlderAmanda Vealepage 15 FirstRebecca Griffithpage 17 FlowJacob Dawsonpage 19 Am Animal AwareDanielle Meyerpage 20 Geneva 04\u27Stephanie Guyerpage 21 Poland, 1942.Jennifer O\u27Neilpage 22 Witness to the Atrophy of ForestsDanielle Meyerpage 23 Helvellyn IJacob Fosterpage 24 Three Out of Five Ain\u27t BadThomas McElweepage 25 FarceAmanda Vealepage 31 Strength of EmotionJennifer O\u27Neilpage 32 About the Authors Art Submissions Prerequisite for a RequiemJenna Smithcover Girl 3Jenna Smithpage 14 ManJenna Smithpage 16 Give Peace a ChanceMegan Mathypage 16 GraceJennifer O\u27Neilpage 20 Oh, the Places You\u27ll Go!Megan Mathypage 23https://thekeep.eiu.edu/vehicle/1086/thumbnail.jp

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

John Clare and place

This chapter tackles issues of place in the self-presentation and critical reception of John Clare, and pursues it across a number of axes. The argument centres on the placing of Clare both socio-economically and ‘naturally’, and limitations exerted upon perceptions of his work. Interrogating criticism this chapter finds a pervasive awkwardness especially in relation to issues of class and labour. It assesses the contemporary ‘placing’ of Clare, and seemingly unavoidable insensitivities to labour and poverty in the history industry, place-naming, and polemical ecocriticism. It assesses the ways Clare represents place – in poverty, in buildings, in nature – and, drawing on Michel de Certeau, considers the tactics Clare uses to negotiate his place. It pursues trajectories to ‘un-place’ Clare: the flight of fame in Clare’s response to Byron; and the flight of an early poem in songbooks and beyond, across the nineteenth century

A Novel Curriculum for Ophthalmology Training of Emergency Medicine Residents (COPTER)

Background: Emergency Medicine (EM) physicians must effectively manage ophthalmologic emergencies, yet many EM residencies teach Ophthalmology via the traditional off-service rotation model. Training during medical school is limited and variable. Objectives: Replacing an apprenticeship model of ophthalmology training with an innovative longitudinal curriculum may improve EM residents\u27 competency in treating eye complaints. Methods: The Curriculum for Ophthalmology Training of Emergency Medicine Residents (COPTER) is designed to cover all the Ophthalmology content in the Model of EM over 18 months. It consists of three, 4-hour sessions employing didactics and hands-on training in diagnosis, equipment use, and procedures. A knowledge test was administered to 16 PGY1 EM residents before and immediately after participation in COPTER session 1; the test was re-administered 8 months later (before session 2) to assess knowledge retention. These residents also completed a survey at the end of PGY1 to assess self-perceived competency in the diagnosis and management of select ophthalmologic complaints. The same survey was administered to 16 upper-class residents who had completed a 2-week ophthalmology rotation during their PGY1 year ( Pre-COPTER ) and was re-administered after they completed one session of COPTER ( Mixed Curriculum. ) Paired t-test and Wilcoxon Rank Sum test were used to analyze the data. Results: Residents displayed improved knowledge immediately after a COPTER Session (p=0.0012 compared to pretest), and this improvement was sustained 8 months later (p=0.0261). There was a statistically signifcant increase in self-perceived competency in evaluating medical eye complaints (p=0.0493) and in acute glaucoma management (p=0.0221) between the Pre-COPTER and the Mixed Curriculum. Conclusions: An innovative, multi-modal ophthalmology curriculum improved EM resident knowledge of the diagnosis and management of ophthalmologic emergencies. When compared to an apprenticeship/rotation model, this curriculum also enhanced self-reported competency in managing medical eye complaints. COPTER may improve the care of patients with ophthalmologic emergencies. [Table Presented]

Associations Between Neural Reward Processing and Binge Eating Among Adolescent Girls

PURPOSE:Neuroimaging studies suggest that altered brain responses to food-related cues in reward-sensitive regions characterize individuals who experience binge-eating episodes. However, the absence of longitudinal data limits the understanding of whether reward-system alterations increase vulnerability to binge eating, as theorized in models of the development of this behavior. METHODS:Adolescent girls (N = 122) completed a functional magnetic resonance imaging monetary reward task at age 16 years as part of an ongoing longitudinal study. Self-report of binge eating was assessed using the Eating Attitudes Test at ages 16 and 18 years. Regression analyses examined concurrent and longitudinal associations between the blood-oxygenation-level-dependent response to anticipating and winning monetary rewards and the severity of binge eating while controlling for age 16 depressive symptoms and socioeconomic status. RESULTS:Greater ventromedial prefrontal cortex and caudate responses to winning money were correlated with greater severity of binge eating concurrently but not prospectively. CONCLUSIONS:This study is the first to examine longitudinal associations between reward responding and binge eating in community-based, mostly low-socioeconomic status adolescent girls. Ventromedial prefrontal cortex response to reward outcome-possibly reflecting an enhanced subjective reward value-appears to be a state marker of binge-eating severity rather than a predictor of future severity

The influence of motherhood on neural systems for reward processing in low income, minority, young women

ObjectiveGiven the association between maternal caregiving behavior and heightened neural reward activity in experimental animal studies, the present study examined whether motherhood in humans positively modulates reward-processing neural circuits, even among mothers exposed to various life stressors and depression.MethodsSubjects were 77 first-time mothers and 126 nulliparous young women from the Pittsburgh Girls Study, a longitudinal study beginning in childhood. Subjects underwent a monetary reward task during functional magnetic resonance imaging in addition to assessment of current depressive symptoms. Life stress was measured by averaging data collected between ages 8-15 years. Using a region-of-interest approach, we conducted hierarchical regression to examine the relationship of psychosocial factors (life stress and current depression) and motherhood with extracted ventral striatal (VST) response to reward anticipation. Whole-brain regression analyses were performed post-hoc to explore non-striatal regions associated with reward anticipation in mothers vs nulliparous women.ResultsAnticipation of monetary reward was associated with increased neural activity in expected regions including caudate, orbitofrontal, occipital, superior and middle frontal cortices. There was no main effect of motherhood nor motherhood-by-psychosocial factor interaction effect on VST response during reward anticipation. Depressive symptoms were associated with increased VST activity across the entire sample. In exploratory whole brain analysis, motherhood was associated with increased somatosensory cortex activity to reward (FWE cluster forming threshold p<0.001).ConclusionsThese findings indicate that motherhood is not associated with reward anticipation-related VST activity nor does motherhood modulate the impact of depression or life stress on VST activity. Future studies are needed to evaluate whether earlier postpartum assessment of reward function, inclusion of mothers with more severe depressive symptoms, and use of reward tasks specific for social reward might reveal an impact of motherhood on reward system activity