Interpretive Potential of South Dakota Wetlands

A study was initiated to devise a method for selecting prairie wetlands on which nature interpretation areas could be established. An evaluation form was designed to systematically identify areas of good potential and 64 prairie wetlands were evaluated. Twenty-two percent of the evaluated marshes were found to rank “excellent”: the method of evaluation was determined successful. A survey was initiated to determine visitor preferences for interpretive methods and facilities at an existing wildlife-interpretive trail. Seventy-nine percent of the visitors indicated preference for a self-guiding interpretive trail. Maps and pictures used in conjunction with self-guiding signs were deemed important. Ninety-one percent believed that natural features and wildlife on prairie marshes would be interesting enough to justify interpretive facilities. This, and other information gathered, should be considered when establishing interpretive areas on prairie wetlands

Pseudorapidity Distribution of Charged Particles in PbarP Collisions at root(s)= 630GeV

Using a silicon vertex detector, we measure the charged particle pseudorapidity distribution over the range 1.5 to 5.5 using data collected from PbarP collisions at root s = 630 GeV. With a data sample of 3 million events, we deduce a result with an overall normalization uncertainty of 5%, and typical bin to bin errors of a few percent. We compare our result to the measurement of UA5, and the distribution generated by the Lund Monte Carlo with default settings. This is only the second measurement at this level of precision, and only the second measurement for pseudorapidity greater than 3.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, LaTeX format. For ps file see http://hep1.physics.wayne.edu/harr/harr.html Submitted to Physics Letters

Self-Preserving: Patterns Guiding the Experience of Interpersonal Conflict for Female Nursing Faculty

The purpose of this study was to identify a substantive theory to explain and predict interpersonal conflict as it is experienced by nursing faculty. Gaining an understanding of this process may assist faculty and administrators of nursing education programs in dealing with interpersonal conflict in more constructive and helpful ways. It may also provide the basis for further development of formal theory and the potential for theory testing. The grounded theory method described by Glaser and Strauss (1967) and Glaser (1978) guided data collection and analysis. The sample was comprised of 18 full-time nursing faculty members from the field site and five other schools of nursing. Data were collected over the course of an academic semester using methods common to field research. The constant comparative method to data analysis was used. As the process evolved it was taken back to informants for further verification and validation of its accuracy. Nursing faculty respond to conflict using four response patterns that are selected based on a careful risk/benefit analysis of the interpersonal dynamics of the situation. The four-stage process of experiencing, making sense, responding, and working through conflict was carried out within the context of the basic social process, self-preserving. Surviving conflict over the long term is viewed as a growth process that includes the learning of behaviors that are self-preserving. The implications of this study are that it provides a basis for further theory development related to how people experience interpersonal conflict. It describes the process used by nursing faculty when interpersonal conflict occurs and identifies interpersonal conflict as a stressful component of the work environment for faculty. Further, it identifies low self-esteem as a possible factor in the development of conflict and in the way it is worked through

Stable low-level expression of p21(WAF1/CIP1 )in A549 human bronchogenic carcinoma cell line-derived clones down-regulates E2F1 mRNA and restores cell proliferation control

BACKGROUND: Deregulated cell cycle progression and loss of proliferation control are key properties of malignant cells. In previous studies, an interactive transcript abundance index (ITAI) comprising three cell cycle control genes, [MYC × E2F1]/p21 accurately distinguished normal from malignant bronchial epithelial cells (BEC), using a cut-off threshold of 7,000. This cut-off is represented by a line with a slope of 7,000 on a bivariate plot of p21 versus [MYC × E2F1], with malignant BEC above the line and normal BEC below the line. This study was an effort to better quantify, at the transcript abundance level, the difference between normal and malignant BEC. The hypothesis was tested that experimental elevation of p21 in a malignant BEC line would decrease the value of the [MYC × E2F1]/p21 ITAI to a level below this line, resulting in loss of immortality and limited cell population doubling capacity. In order to test the hypothesis, a p21 expression vector was transfected into the A549 human bronchogenic carcinoma cell line, which has low constitutive p21 TA expression relative to normal BEC. RESULTS: Following transfection of p21, four A549/p21 clones with stable two-fold up-regulated p21 expression were isolated and expanded. For each clone, the increase in p21 transcript abundance (TA) was associated with increased total p21 protein level, more than 5-fold reduction in E2F1 TA, and 10-fold reduction in the [MYC × E2F1]/p21 ITAI to a value below the cut-off threshold. These changes in regulation of cell cycle control genes were associated with restoration of cell proliferation control. Specifically, each transfectant was capable of only 15 population doublings compared with unlimited population doublings for parental A549. This change was associated with an approximate 2-fold increase in population doubling time to 38.4 hours (from 22.3 hrs), resumption of contact-inhibition, and reduced dividing cell fraction as measured by flow cytometric DNA analysis. CONCLUSION: These results, likely due to increased p21-mediated down-regulation of E2F1 TA at the G1/S phase transition, are consistent with our hypothesis. Specifically, they provide experimental confirmation that a line with slope of 7,000 on the p21 versus [MYC × E2F1] bivariate plot quantifies the difference between normal and malignant BEC at the level of transcript abundance

Clinical outcomes of stents versus balloon angioplasty in non-acute coronary artery disease: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Aims To evaluate whether stents as compared to balloon angioplasty reduce mortality in patients with non-acute coronary artery disease. Methods and results We identified randomized controlled trials comparing stents to balloon angioplasty for the treatment of non-acute coronary artery disease by searching major medical databases from 1979 to March 2002. Two independent reviewers selected and extracted data from trials that had to report data on death and myocardial infarction. Nineteen trials, with a total of 8004 patients, fulfilled our inclusion criteria. For 1000 patients treated with stents rather than balloon angioplasty, 3 (95% CI 0-6), 5 (95% CI 0-9), and 6 (95% CI -1-12) additional lives were saved at 30 days, 6 and 12 months. At 12 months, for 1000 patients treated with stents rather than balloon angioplasty 46 (95% CI 25-66) additional target vessel revascularizations were avoided, but 25 (95% CI 15-34) additional bleeding complications with need for blood transfusion or surgical intervention occurred. In sensitivity analysis 11 (95% CI 2-20) and 2 (95% CI -4-7) deaths were avoided per 1000 patients treated with stents rather than PTCA in trials that routinely used compared to trials that did not use glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors. Conclusion In non-acute coronary disease stents may reduce overall mortality, but this benefit seems to be limited to stents used in conjunction with glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors. Stents compared to PTCA reduce target vessel revascularizations, but increase the risk of bleeding complication

The expected metric principle for probabilistic information retrieval

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2007.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 125-128).Traditionally, information retrieval systems aim to maximize the number of relevant documents returned to a user within some window of the top. For that goal, the Probability Ranking Principle, which ranks documents in decreasing order of probability of relevance, is provably optimal. However, there are many scenarios in which that ranking does not optimize for the user's information need. One example is when the user would be satisfied with some limited number of relevant documents, rather than needing all relevant documents. We show that in such a scenario, an attempt to return many relevant documents can actually reduce the chances of finding any relevant documents. In this thesis, we introduce the Expected Metric Principle, which generalizes the Probability Ranking Principle in a way that intimately connects the evaluation metric and the retrieval model. We observe that given a probabilistic model of relevance, it is appropriate to rank so as to directly optimize these metrics in expectation.(cont.) We consider a number of metrics from the literature, such as the rank of the first relevant result, the %no metric that penalizes a system only for retrieving no relevant results near the top, and the diversity of retrieved results when queries have multiple interpretations, as well as introducing our own new metrics. While direct optimization of a metric's expected value may be computationally intractable, we explore heuristic search approaches, and show that a simple approximate greedy optimization algorithm produces rankings for TREC queries that outperform the standard approach based on the probability ranking principle.by Harr Chen.S.M

Averages of b-hadron Properties at the End of 2005

This article reports world averages for measurements on b-hadron properties obtained by the Heavy Flavor Averaging Group (HFAG) using the available results as of at the end of 2005. In the averaging, the input parameters used in the various analyses are adjusted (rescaled) to common values, and all known correlations are taken into account. The averages include lifetimes, neutral meson mixing parameters, parameters of semileptonic decays, branching fractions of B meson decays to final states with open charm, charmonium and no charm, and measurements related to CP asymmetries

Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis after Pemetrexed and Cisplatin for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in a Patient with Sharp Syndrome

Background: Pemetrexed is an antifolate drug approved for maintenance and second-line therapy, and, in combination with cisplatin, for first-line treatment of advanced nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer. The side-effect profile includes fatigue, hematological and gastrointestinal toxicity, an increase in hepatic enzymes, sensory neuropathy, and pulmonary and cutaneous toxicity in various degrees. Case Report: We present the case of a 58-year-old woman with history of Sharp's syndrome and adenocarcinoma of the lung, who developed toxic epidermal necrolysis after the first cycle of pemetrexed, including erythema, bullae, extensive skin denudation, subsequent systemic inflammation and severe deterioration in general condition. The generalized skin lesions occurred primarily in the previous radiation field and responded to immunosuppressive treatment with prednisone. Conclusion: Although skin toxicity is a well-known side effect of pemetrexed, severe skin reactions after pemetrexed administration are rare. Caution should be applied in cases in which pemetrexed is given subsequent to radiation therapy, especially in patients with pre-existing skin diseases