fc177, a Minor dec-1 Proprotein, Is Necessary to Prevent Ectopic Aggregation of the Endochorion During Eggshell Assembly in Drosophila

The Drosophila eggshell is a highly specialized extracellular matrix that forms between the oocyte and the surrounding epithelial follicle cells during late oogenesis. The dec-1 gene, which is required for proper eggshell assembly, produces three proproteins that are cleaved within the vitelline membrane layer to multiple derivatives. The different spatial distributions of the cleaved derivatives suggest that they play distinct roles in eggshell assembly. Using extant dec-1 mutations in conjunction with genetically engineered dec-1 transgenes, we show that, although all three dec-1 proproteins, fc106, fc125, and fc177, are required for female fertility, gross morphological abnormalities in the eggshell are observed only in the absence of fc177. The coalescence of the roof, pillar, and floor substructures of the tripartite endochorion suggested that quantitatively minor fc177 derivatives are necessary to prevent ectopic aggregation of endochorion proteins during the assembly process. Expression of a fc177 cDNA in dec-1 null mutants was sufficient to restore spaces within the endochorion layer. Fc177 may function as a scaffolding protein akin to those utilized in viral morphogenesis

Genetics of Resistance to Hessian Fly Derived from Dawn Winter Wheat in Spring Wheat Crosses

Hessian fly, Mayetiola destructor (Say), has been a serious insect pest of cornnon wheat (Triticum aestivum L. em Thell.) since it was first identified in the United States over 200 years ago. Losses are difficult to estimate due to geographical variability in populations but are large enough to characterize this pest as one of economic importance. Dahms in 1967 estimated the direct average annual loss in the United States at 15 million bushels. The last serious outbreak in the United States was reported in 1978 in the spring wheat producing regions of north central and northeastern South Dakota where conservative loss estimates exceeded 10 million bushels (. As a result of the outbreak in South Dakota spring wheats, all lines in the spring wheat breeding program were screened for Hessian fly resistance. Resistance was found in spring by winter crosses involving \u27Dawn\u27 winter wheat. The resistance appeared to be operating as a single dominant gene based upon reactions of F2 derived families. The objective of this study was twofold: 1) to characterize the inheritance of resistance to Hessian fly derived from Dawn winter wheat in crosses with spring wheats; 2) to determine which gene(s) in Dawn winter wheat confer resistance to Hessian fly

A Workforce Development Study to Explore Current Demand for Industry-Recognized Credentials

In this descriptive research study, I identified industry-recognized workforce credentials that are or will be in high demand by employers operating in Virginia. I surveyed a targeted group of Virginia workforce development stakeholders including 17 Virginia Community College System workforce development leaders who represent each local community college, 47 Virginia local and regional economic development directors, and 11 Virginia Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act directors. Due to the economic disparity between rural and urban areas, I also examined the contrast between high-demand credentials needed by employers in rural and urban areas. The findings revealed that the top two industry-recognized credentials were health care and manufacturing, equally in high demand currently and predicted to remain so in the future. This finding represents a significant contrast with earlier research, which indicated that manufacturing lagged behind health care. In health care, respondents identified the specific credentials such as certified nursing assistant, licensed practical nurse, and registered nurse. For the manufacturing field, credentials such as machinists, welders, and maintenance technicians were identified. The urban respondents differed from rural and suburban participants in believing that health care was the most important, although this difference was not statistically significant. Funding and facilities were noted as barriers to delivering high-demand workforce credentials

Who Cares? Suicide and Christian Pastoral Intervention

The fallen world we live in presents challenges that often seem too much to bear. How we view those challenges depends not only on our worldview but also on our interpretation of it. These same beliefs help determine if, when, and to whom we go for help. Beliefs and worldviews also drive those who provide help, making the decision of who to see that much more important. This study addresses the dispute between pastoral and secular counseling—Who is better prepared to treat individuals presenting with severe distress? In essence, this quantitative survey is a letter to the churches asking pastors to reflect on their own experiences, articulate their beliefs, and report on their strategies for helping individuals who are fighting depression and contemplating suicide. Further, it is a clarion call for pastors of the Christian faith to stand on the Word of God in a tangible and bold way. Suicide grieves the heart of God. There was a reason Jesus called on His disciples to go into the world and preach the gospel—it equips us to fight evil with Truth, providing hope while saving lives and souls in the process

Validity and reliability testing: Urdu translated modified Response to Symptoms Questionnaire.

OBJECTIVE: To determine validity and reliability of the Urdu translated, modified Response to symptoms questionnaire (RSQ) among acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients in Karachi. STUDY DESIGN: A qualitative, tool validation study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Two tertiary care hospitals in Karachi, the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi and the Karachi Institute of Heart Diseases, from December 2010 to April 2011. METHODOLOGY: After making certain modifications, the original tool in English was translated into Urdu. Next, five cardiology experts evaluated the tool for its content and face validity. Test retest and inter rater reliabilities were computed for the RSQ using 5% of the total sample size of the parent study. RESULTS: Sufficient conceptual and semantic equivalence was found between the Urdu and English versions of the modified RSQ. Content validity index was calculated to be 1 for both relevance and linguistic clarity. Test retest and inter rater reliabilities were calculated to be 95.9% and K = 0.97, respectively. CONCLUSION: The Urdu translated modified RSQ has sufficiently acceptable content validity, test retest and inter rater reliability; hence, it should be used by the researchers for the evaluation of factors associated with pre-hospital delay among Urdu speaking ACS patient populations

Measurement of Hospital Performance: Environmental and Organizational Factors Associated with Cost

As U.S. health care expenditures top the $1 trillion mark, there is increased interest in measuring the performance of health care providers. For bottom line oriented payors such as government and business, the focus is on measuring cost. As hospitals account for over one-third of health care expenses, hospital cost per admission is a common measure of performance. Many environmental and organizational factors come into play in determining hospital cost per admission. This research examines several of these factors, using Raymond Zammuto\u27s model of organizational effectiveness assessment. Using Zammuto\u27s framework, this research looks at the relationship of social, physical, and biological factors to cost per admission. Social factors include: hospital teaching status; ownership; patient socioeconomic status; and community poverty level. Physical factors include: hospital location; bed size; staff size; number of services offered; presence of specialty and tertiary services; and presence of obstetrical services. Biological factors are patient age and community elderly. Although it is generally accepted that hospital cost per admission should be adjusted to account for differences among hospitals in patient complexity (i.e., case mix) and outpatient volume, not all adjustment methodologies take cost of living differences into account. To test the impact of adjusting for cost of living differences in addition to case mix and outpatient volume differences, this research uses three versions of the dependent variable: (1) cost per admission adjusted for case mix, outpatient volume, and cost of living; (2) cost per admission adjusted for case mix and outpatient volume only; and (3) unadjusted cost. The study population consists of 85 general acute care hospitals in the Commonwealth of Virginia. 1994 Annual Historical Filing data submitted to the former Virginia Health Services Cost Review Council (now Virginia Health Information) were used. Multivariate linear regression analysis of the cost per admission adjusted for case mix, outpatient volume, and cost of living indicates that patient age (percent of hospital patients age 65+), the presence of obstetrical services, and hospital bed size are significant variables. Larger hospital bed size is related to higher cost per admission. Larger percent of hospital patients age 65+ and the presence of obstetrics are related to lower cost per admission. Bivariate and multivariate analyses demonstrate that variables such as hospital location and community poverty level have a great impact on cost per admission when adjusted for case mix and outpatient volume only. If a cost of living adjustment is also made to the cost per admission calculation, the location related variables are not signifiant due to the relationship between those variables and cost of living. It is concluded that a cost of living adjustment should be made in addition to case mix and outpatient volume adjustments when studying hospital cost per admission. The multivariate linear regression model for cost per admission adjusted for case mix, outpatient volume, and cost of living accounts for 30.9% of the cost per admission variance. Other factors such as physician practice patterns and hospital management policies play an important role in hospital performance. These factors have been beyond the scope of this study but merit additional research

The relationship between health attitudes, beliefs, health locus of control and use of breast cancer screening modalities in elderly Hispanic women

A non-experimental design was used to examine the relationship between health attitudes, beliefs, locus of control and the use of breast cancer screening modalities in elderly Hispanic women in this pilot study. Leininger\u27s Theory of Culture Care Diversity and Universality and the Health Belief Model were the supporting theoretical frameworks. Research was conducted at the Amigos del Valle senior centers in Hidalgo County and included 52 English-speaking elderly Hispanic volunteer participants. Instruments used for data collection were the Health Care Attitudes and Beliefs Scale and the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale. Results of this study revealed that there appears to be a relationship between age and an attitude of fatalism in elderly Hispanic women and the use of breast cancer screenings by elderly Hispanic women. Recommendations for further research regarding cultural congruent care among elderly Hispanic women are given

Barriers Cardiac Nurses Face in Addressing Psychosocial Issues of Heart Failure Patients

Heart failure is a chronic disease and a common cause of hospitalizations and readmissions within 30-days of discharge. To decrease the cost of care for patients with heart failure, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services initiated the Readmissions Reduction Program that reduces payment to hospitals with preventable readmissions. Among the causes for readmissions of patients with heart failure are concurrent behavioral health issues that can lead to decreased medication compliance and increased risk for disease progression. The prevalence of comorbid depression is as high as 77% among patients with heart failure and may be an important factor in readmissions. Although cardiac nurses in the emergency room, intensive care unit, and the progressive care units at a community hospital were perceived by managers to be in optimal settings to assess for behavioral health issues and make referrals as appropriate, assessments were not being conducted. The purpose of the project was to determine the barriers nurses faced in completing the assessments. Four audiotaped focus groups with a total of 18 cardiac nurses were held and the data were transcribed for analysis. Using Kalcaba\u27s comfort contexts (physical, psychospiritual, social, and environmental), the barriers identified by the nurses were categorized into a fishbone diagram and a Pareto chart. The nurses identified lack of a standardized screening tool, lack of priority given to behavioral health assessments, lack of time to conduct the assessments, and lack of a clear facility policy related to the assessments as barriers. A positive social change resulting from the project is an initiative to address the barriers and ensure that patients with heart failure are cared for in a holistic manner that addresses physical and behavioral health issues

A two-dimensional global dispersion model applied to several halocarbons

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Meteorology and Physical Oceanography, 1983.Microfiche copy available in Archives and Science.Bibliography: leaves 50-51.by Debra Kay Weisenstein.M.S