Testing the Spousal Model of Stress in Healthy Controls, Persons with Multiple Sclerosis and their Spousal Caregivers

The current study examined the Spousal Model of Stress in a sample of healthy, married controls (n=52) and a sample of persons with multiple sclerosis and their spousal caregivers (n=51). The Spousal Model of Stress was created by joining together Ruben Hill’s (1958) ABCX Model of Stress and Karney & Bradbury’s (1995) Vulnerability- Stress-Adaptation Model of Marriage. Factors in the Spousal Model include stress, resources/vulnerabilities, perceptions/adaptive processes, and outcomes (marital satisfaction, marital quality, life satisfaction, and depression). The new model revealed that spousal attributions were an important factor in predicting marital quality and marital satisfaction in a group of healthy spouses. Life satisfaction and depression in this group was predicted by amount of perceived stress. The Model also revealed that social support was an important factor in predicting marital quality, marital satisfaction, and life satisfaction in a group of persons with MS and their spousal caregivers. Limitations and future directions are discussed

Social Impact

From the Dean: Make Space for Social Work; Perspectives: In the News: Social Work Faculty and Staff Comment on Civilian Service, Health Care Costs, and Native American Stereotypes; Perspectives: Civic Service Worldwide; Perspectives: The Future of Social Work Research with Enola K. Proctor; Interview: Q&A with Greg Echele; Scattered Image: Leaders in social work education agree that the profession has an image problem but remain at odds on the best way to change it.; Place, Space, & People: Traditionally two disparate fields, architecture and social work are interacting in new ways that involve communities in producing socially innovative design.; Sowing the Seeds of Knowledge: Quality doctoral education is needed to advance the social work knowledge base.; Notebook; Alumni News and Note

Defining a Flexible Notion of “Good” STEM Writing Across Contexts: Lessons Learned From a Cross-Institutional Conversation

We respond to a surging interest in science communication training for graduate scientists by advocating for a focus on rhetorically informed approaches to STEM writing and its assessment. We argue that STEM communication initiatives would benefit by shifting from a strategic focus on products to a flexible understanding of writing as a practice worthy of attention and study. To do that, we use our experience across two universities and two distinct programmatic contexts to train STEM graduate students in writing and communication. We draw from cross-disciplinary conversations to identify four facets of “good” STEM writing: (1) connecting to the big picture; (2) explaining science; (3) adhering to genre conventions; and (4) choosing context-appropriate language. We then describe our ongoing conversations across contexts to develop and implement flexible rubrics that capture and foster conversations around “good” writing. In doing so, we argue for a notion of writing rubrics as boundary objects, capable of fostering cross-disciplinary, integrative conversations and collaborations that strengthen student writing, shift STEM students toward a rhetorically informed sense of “good” writing, and offer that kinds of assessment data that make for persuasive evidence of the power of writing-centric approaches for STEM administrators and funders

A regioselectively 1, 1',3 ,3'-tetrazincated ferrocene complex displaying core and peripheral reactivity

Regioselective 1,1′,3,3′-tetrazincation [C-H to C-Zn(tBu)] of ferrocene has been achieved by reaction of a fourfold excess of di-t-butylzinc (tBu2Zn) with sodium 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidide (NaTMP) in hexane solution manifested in the trimetallic iron-sodium-zinc complex [Na4(TMP)4Zn4(tBu)4{(C5H3)2Fe}], 1. X-ray crystallographic studies supported by DFT modelling reveal the structure to be an open inverse crown in which two [Na(TMP)Zn(tBu)Na(TMP)Zn(tBu)]2+ cationic units surround a {(C5H3)2Fe}4- tetraanion. Detailed C6D6 NMR studies have assigned the plethora of 1H and 13C chemical shifts of this complex. It exists in a major form in which capping and bridging TMP groups interchange, as well as a minor form that appears to be an intermediate in this complicated exchange phenomenon. Investigation of 1 has uncovered two distinct reactivities. Two of its peripheral t-butyl carbanions formally deprotonate toluene at the lateral methyl group to generate benzyl ligands that replace these carbanions in [Na4(TMP)4Zn4(tBu)2(CH2Ph)2{(C5H3)2Fe}], 2, which retains its tetrazincated ferrocenyl core. Benzyl-Na π-arene interactions are a notable feature of 2. In contrast, reaction with pyridine affords the crystalline product {[Na·4py][Zn(py∗)2(tBu)·py]}∞, 3, where py is neutral pyridine (C5H5N) and py∗ is the anion (4-C5H4N), a rare example of pyridine deprotonated/metallated at the 4-position. This ferrocene-free complex appears to be a product of core reactivity in that the core-positioned ferrocenyl anions of 1, in company with TMP anions, have formally deprotonated the heterocycle

The roles of inflammation and immune mechanisms in Alzheimer's disease

AbstractThe Alzheimer's Association's Research roundtable met in April 2015 to explore the role of neuroinflammatory mechanisms in the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The ability of innate immune cells, particularly microglia and astrocytes, to mediate neuroinflammation in AD has been implicated as a significant contributor to disease pathogenesis. Adaptive immunity, which plays an important role in responding to injury and some diseases of the central nervous system, may contribute to neuroinflammation in AD as well. Communication between the central and peripheral immune systems may also be important in AD. An increased understanding of the physiology of the innate immune system may aid the identification of new therapeutic targets or mechanisms. The development of predictive animal models and translatable neuroinflammation biomarkers for AD would also facilitate the advancement of novel treatments for innate immunity. Important challenges impeding the advancement of new therapeutic agents and strategies to overcome them were discussed

Association Between Results of a Gene Expression Signature Assay and Recurrence-Free Interval in Patients With Stage II Colon Cancer in Cancer and Leukemia Group B 9581 (Alliance)

PURPOSE: Conventional staging methods are inadequate to identify patients with stage II colon cancer (CC) who are at high risk of recurrence after surgery with curative intent. ColDx is a gene expression, microarray-based assay shown to be independently prognostic for recurrence-free interval (RFI) and overall survival in CC. The objective of this study was to further validate ColDx using formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded specimens collected as part of the Alliance phase III trial, C9581. PATIENTS AND METHODS: C9581 evaluated edrecolomab versus observation in patients with stage II CC and reported no survival benefit. Under an initial case-cohort sampling design, a randomly selected subcohort (RS) comprised 514 patients from 901 eligible patients with available tissue. Forty-nine additional patients with recurrence events were included in the analysis. Final analysis comprised 393 patients: 360 RS (58 events) and 33 non-RS events. Risk status was determined for each patient by ColDx. The Self-Prentice method was used to test the association between the resulting ColDx risk score and RFI adjusting for standard prognostic variables. RESULTS: Fifty-five percent of patients (216 of 393) were classified as high risk. After adjustment for prognostic variables that included mismatch repair (MMR) deficiency, ColDx high-risk patients exhibited significantly worse RFI (multivariable hazard ratio, 2.13; 95% CI, 1.3 to 3.5; P < .01). Age and MMR status were marginally significant. RFI at 5 years for patients classified as high risk was 82% (95% CI, 79% to 85%), compared with 91% (95% CI, 89% to 93%) for patients classified as low risk. CONCLUSION: ColDx is associated with RFI in the C9581 subsample in the presence of other prognostic factors, including MMR deficiency. ColDx could be incorporated with the traditional clinical markers of risk to refine patient prognosis

Characteristics of frequent emergency department presenters to an Australian emergency medicine network

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To describe the characteristics of emergency department (ED) patients defined as frequent presenters (FP) presenting to an Australian emergency department network and compare these with a cohort of non-frequent presenters (NFP).</p> <p>Method</p> <p>A retrospective chart review utilising an electronic emergency medicine patient medical record database was performed on patients presenting to Southern Health EDs from March 2009 to March 2010. Non-frequent presenters were defined as patients presenting less than 5 times and frequent presenters as presenting 8 or more times in the study period. Characteristics of both groups were described and compared.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>During the 12-month study period there were 540 FP patients with 4549 admissions and 73,089 NFP patients with 100,943 admissions. FP patients were slightly older with a significant increase in frequency of patients between the ages of 70 to 79 years and they were more likely to be divorced or separated than NFP patients. Frequent presenters to the emergency department were more likely to utilise the ambulance service to arrive at the hospital, or in the custody of police than NFP patients. FPs were more likely to be admitted to hospital, more likely to have an admission to a mental health bed than NFP patients and more likely to self-discharge from the emergency department while waiting for care.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>There are major implications for the utilisation of limited ED resources by frequent presenters. By further understanding the characteristics of FP we may be able to address the specific health care needs of this population in more efficient and cost effective ways. Further research analysing the effectiveness of targeted multidisciplinary interventions aiming to reduce the frequency of ED attendances may be warranted.</p

The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment: Exploring Fundamental Symmetries of the Universe

The preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early Universe, the dynamics of the supernova bursts that produced the heavy elements necessary for life and whether protons eventually decay --- these mysteries at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early evolution of our Universe, its current state and its eventual fate. The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE) represents an extensively developed plan for a world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions. LBNE is conceived around three central components: (1) a new, high-intensity neutrino source generated from a megawatt-class proton accelerator at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, (2) a near neutrino detector just downstream of the source, and (3) a massive liquid argon time-projection chamber deployed as a far detector deep underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. This facility, located at the site of the former Homestake Mine in Lead, South Dakota, is approximately 1,300 km from the neutrino source at Fermilab -- a distance (baseline) that delivers optimal sensitivity to neutrino charge-parity symmetry violation and mass ordering effects. This ambitious yet cost-effective design incorporates scalability and flexibility and can accommodate a variety of upgrades and contributions. With its exceptional combination of experimental configuration, technical capabilities, and potential for transformative discoveries, LBNE promises to be a vital facility for the field of particle physics worldwide, providing physicists from around the globe with opportunities to collaborate in a twenty to thirty year program of exciting science. In this document we provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess.Comment: Major update of previous version. This is the reference document for LBNE science program and current status. Chapters 1, 3, and 9 provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess. 288 pages, 116 figure

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy