Better Left Unsaid: The Connection Between Members of Congress, Presidents, and Political Ambiguity

During the course of an election cycle, candidates often deliver vague statements regarding their positions on policies. Furthermore, incumbent candidates typically have a record of obscure actions unknown to the voter. Presently, existing literature maintains ambiguity in terms of an interaction between the candidate and the constituent. According to this literature, candidates use ambiguity to exploit voter uncertainty on policy issues. However, I argue that congressional members, motivated by re-election, will act similarly to candidates by utilizing ambiguity. In this research, I propose that it is the president’s popularity that triggers a congressional member’s ambiguity. Using a method of linear regression, I measure the rate of congressional ambiguity from 1996 to 2016 to find some support for this theory

Quantitative cross-species extrapolation between humans and fish: The case of the anti-depressant fluoxetine

This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.Fish are an important model for the pharmacological and toxicological characterization of human pharmaceuticals in drug discovery, drug safety assessment and environmental toxicology. However, do fish respond to pharmaceuticals as humans do? To address this question, we provide a novel quantitative cross-species extrapolation approach (qCSE) based on the hypothesis that similar plasma concentrations of pharmaceuticals cause comparable target-mediated effects in both humans and fish at similar level of biological organization (Read-Across Hypothesis). To validate this hypothesis, the behavioural effects of the anti-depressant drug fluoxetine on the fish model fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) were used as test case. Fish were exposed for 28 days to a range of measured water concentrations of fluoxetine (0.1, 1.0, 8.0, 16, 32, 64 μg/L) to produce plasma concentrations below, equal and above the range of Human Therapeutic Plasma Concentrations (HTPCs). Fluoxetine and its metabolite, norfluoxetine, were quantified in the plasma of individual fish and linked to behavioural anxiety-related endpoints. The minimum drug plasma concentrations that elicited anxiolytic responses in fish were above the upper value of the HTPC range, whereas no effects were observed at plasma concentrations below the HTPCs. In vivo metabolism of fluoxetine in humans and fish was similar, and displayed bi-phasic concentration-dependent kinetics driven by the auto-inhibitory dynamics and saturation of the enzymes that convert fluoxetine into norfluoxetine. The sensitivity of fish to fluoxetine was not so dissimilar from that of patients affected by general anxiety disorders. These results represent the first direct evidence of measured internal dose response effect of a pharmaceutical in fish, hence validating the Read-Across hypothesis applied to fluoxetine. Overall, this study demonstrates that the qCSE approach, anchored to internal drug concentrations, is a powerful tool to guide the assessment of the sensitivity of fish to pharmaceuticals, and strengthens the translational power of the cross-species extrapolation

DNA isolation protocol effects on nuclear DNA analysis by microarrays, droplet digital PCR, and whole genome sequencing, and on mitochondrial DNA copy number estimation.

Potential bias introduced during DNA isolation is inadequately explored, although it could have significant impact on downstream analysis. To investigate this in human brain, we isolated DNA from cerebellum and frontal cortex using spin columns under different conditions, and salting-out. We first analysed DNA using array CGH, which revealed a striking wave pattern suggesting primarily GC-rich cerebellar losses, even against matched frontal cortex DNA, with a similar pattern on a SNP array. The aCGH changes varied with the isolation protocol. Droplet digital PCR of two genes also showed protocol-dependent losses. Whole genome sequencing showed GC-dependent variation in coverage with spin column isolation from cerebellum. We also extracted and sequenced DNA from substantia nigra using salting-out and phenol / chloroform. The mtDNA copy number, assessed by reads mapping to the mitochondrial genome, was higher in substantia nigra when using phenol / chloroform. We thus provide evidence for significant method-dependent bias in DNA isolation from human brain, as reported in rat tissues. This may contribute to array "waves", and could affect copy number determination, particularly if mosaicism is being sought, and sequencing coverage. Variations in isolation protocol may also affect apparent mtDNA abundance

A strategic analysis of a small family-operated emergency repair facility

ABSTRACT Chanor Truck Repairs Ltd. is a small family-operated business that provides emergency repair services to the motoring public travelling through a highly busy traffic corridor of a small rural community within BC. This paper analyzes the different areas of business the company currently pursues and identifies the towing services as a key area for future growth and financial sustainability. Focusing on this segment, this paper analyzes the towing service industry/market with a focus on the geographical area in which it currently competes and the company’s present situation and performance. The strategic analysis consists of two analytical parts: industry and competitive analysis, and internal analysis. From the strategic analysis and a review of the company’s current strategy, a number of key issues facing the firm is identified and evaluated. Finally, recommendations that address key issues, implementation of recommendations and a conclusion are provided

’Kicked out’ : the stories of young people excluded from school

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Better Lef Unsaid: The Connection Between Members of Congress, Presidents, and Political Ambiguity

Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Southern Political Science Associatio

Colonic Stenosis in an elderly female

Introduction Colonic stenosis is commonly caused by chronic inflammation and is a known side effect of inflammatory conditions, such as diverticulitis and irritable bowel syndrome. Diverticulosis is a common condition where parts of the colon wall become weakened, forming outpouches. These outpouchings may become inflamed, leading to diverticulitis. This chronic inflammation can cause scarring and fibrosis of the colon, resulting in colonic stenosis. Inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, may also result in scarring and colonic stenosis. The incidence rate of patients developing colonic stenosis is 8-13.5% for Crohn\u27s disease and 1-11% for ulcerative colitis. Patients with colonic stenosis often experience bloating, constipation, abdominal discomfort, and reduced bowel movements. Although rarely diagnosed, diagnosis is typically made during surgical procedures or with CT imaging. If diagnosed, treatment includes surgical removal of the narrowed or blocked colon and attachment of the healthy ends together with sutures. This study aims to determine the underlying cause of colonic stenosis in a deceased 83-year-old Caucasian female. Did the colonic stenosis cause diverticulosis or did the diverticulitis cause the colonic stenosis? Based on how extensive the diverticulitis is in this patient, we predict her colonic stenosis was most likely caused by her diverticulitis. Methods A cadaver used in routine dissection in the Gross Anatomy laboratory at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, South Georgia campus was studied. Samples were taken from the transverse and descending colon for histopathological evaluation and sent to the Colquitt Regional Medical Center for processing. Slides were stained by Hematoxylin and Eosin staining and reported by a pathologist. Results Gross colon examination showed an obvious narrowing of the transverse, descending, and sigmoid colon indicating colonic stenosis. Also noted were multiple diverticula. Microscopic findings confirmed diverticulosis\u27s multiple outpouchings and revealed chronic inflammatory cells consistent with diverticulitis. Discussion Colonic histopathology revealed aggregates of chronic inflammatory lymphocytes and small dilated outpouchings in the colonic wall, indicating diverticulitis and diverticulosis, respectively. More testing will need to be performed to determine if there is generalized inflammation which would suggest a form of irritable bowel syndrome. If the walls of the bowel are significantly thickened, this may suggest irritable bowel syndrome, which might have been the cause of her colonic stenosis. Obtaining the patient’s medical history would be a vital aspect of understanding the cause of her colonic stenosis by better understanding the patient’s lifestyle and dietary habits. However, this was a limitation of our study. In our case, diverticulitis might have been a complication of the extra pressure in the colon from the stenosis, and the diverticulosis was most probably a complication of colonic stenosis

Contingency management improves smoking cessation treatment outcomes among highly impulsive adolescent smokers relative to cognitive behavioral therapy

Background: Impulsive adolescents have difficulty quitting smoking. We examined if treatments that provide behavioral incentives for abstinence improve treatment outcomes among impulsive adolescent smokers, who have been shown to be highly sensitive to reward. Methods: We ran secondary data analyses on 64 teen smokers (mean age = 1636 [1.44], cigarettes/day = 13.97 [6.61]; 53.1% female; 90.6% Caucasian) who completed a four-week smoking cessation trial to determine whether impulsive adolescents differentially benefit from receiving cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), contingency management (CM), or the combination of the two (CM/CBT). Indices of treatment efficacy included self-report percent days abstinent and end of treatment biochemically-confirmed 7-day point prevalence abstinence (EOT abstinence). We assessed self-reported impulsivity using the Brief Barratt Impulsiveness Scale. We used univariate Generalized Linear Modeling to examine main effects and interactions of impulsivity and treatment condition as predictors of self-reported abstinence, and exact logistic regression to examine EOT abstinence. Results: CM/CBT and CM were comparably effective in promoting abstinence, so analyses were conducted comparing the efficacy of CBT to treatments with a CM component (i.e., CM and CM/CBT). CBT and deficient self-regulation predicted lower self-reported abstinence rates within the total analytic sample. Treatments containing CM were more effective than CBT in predicting 1) self-reported abstinence among behaviorally impulsive adolescents (% days abstinent: CM 77%; CM/CBT 81%; CBT 30%) and 2) EOT point prevalence abstinence among behaviorally impulsive adolescents and adolescents with significant deficits in self-regulation. Conclusion: CM-based interventions may improve the low smoking cessation rates previously observed among impulsive adolescent smokers. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved