Peripheral lymphocytosis in tropical splenomegaly syndrome

No Abstrac

Motivations and Conflicts in Prison Medical Contracting

State correctional departments are responsible for all medical care incarcerated individuals require. Many systems outsource their medical State correctional departments are responsible for all medical care incarcerated individuals require. Many systems outsource their medical program. Literature indicates that many of these contracts experience significant issues that negatively impact state resources, including both personnel and money. This dissertation explores the relationship between prison administrators\u27 motivations and the structure, outcomes, efficiencies, and partner conflicts that arise in the contractual process. Using a framework developed from Incomplete Contract Theory, Contracts as Reference Points Theory and the concept of “essential tension,” this dissertation hypothesizes that the administrator’s motivation will impact the likelihood of success, contract efficiencies and partnership conflicts in case of prison medical contracts. The mixed-method study employs both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Study results indicate a preliminary finding that public administrators’ motivation does correlates with predictable differences in contract design and contract outcomes. States motivated to improve cost control, are more likely to allow the vendor space to manage financial resources but restrict the ability to determine efficient ways to achieve quality, which seems associated with problems in outputs, efficiencies and conflicts. These findings have implications for contracting and the use of contracts by public administrators. The results suggest that contract completeness is more nuanced than a contract being complete or not complete on the whole. Additionally, the application of completeness and incompleteness in different sections can be an intentional and strategic action on the part of the public administrator that could be used to enhance the usefulness of a complex contract. . Literature indicates that many of these contracts experience significant issues that negatively impact state resources, including both personnel and money. This dissertation explores the relationship between prison administrators\u27 motivations and the structure, outcomes, efficiencies, and partner conflicts that arise in the contractual process. Using a framework developed from Incomplete Contract Theory, Contracts as Reference Points Theory and the concept of “essential tension,” this dissertation hypothesizes that the administrator’s motivation will impact the likelihood of success, contract efficiencies and partnership conflicts in case of prison medical contracts. The mixed-method study employs both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Study results indicate a preliminary finding that public administrators’ motivation does correlates with predictable differences in contract design and contract outcomes. States motivated to improve cost control, are more likely to allow the vendor space to manage financial resources but restrict the ability to determine efficient ways to achieve quality, which seems associated with problems in outputs, efficiencies and conflicts. These findings have implications for contracting and the use of contracts by public administrators. The results suggest that contract completeness is more nuanced than a contract being complete or not complete on the whole. Additionally, the application of completeness and incompleteness in different sections can be an intentional and strategic action on the part of the public administrator that could be used to enhance the usefulness of a complex contract

Spin relaxation in mesoscopic superconducting Al wires

We studied the diffusion and the relaxation of the polarized quasiparticle spins in superconductors. To that end, quasiparticles of polarized spins were injected through an interface of a mesoscopic superconducting Al wire in proximity contact with an overlaid ferromagnetic Co wire in the single-domain state. The superconductivity was observed to be suppressed near the spin-injecting interface, as evidenced by the occurrence of a finite voltage for a bias current below the onset of the superconducting transition. The spin diffusion length, estimated from finite voltages over a certain length of Al wire near the interface, was almost temperature independent in the temperature range sufficiently below the superconducting transition but grew as the transition temperature was approached. This temperature dependence suggests that the relaxation of the spin polarization in the superconducting state is governed by the condensation of quasiparticles to the paired state. The spin relaxation in the superconducting state turned out to be more effective than in the normal state.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figure

The Determinants of Inappropriate Use of Antibiotics among Working Age Population in Western Cambodia

BACKGROUND: Antibiotics are among the most commonly sold drugs in the developing countries. The inappropriate use of antibiotics could result not only resistant bacterial strains but also adverse reactions and economic burden. This study aimed to describe the antibiotics use characteristics and identify factors associated with inappropriate use of antibiotics among working age population in western Cambodia. SUBJECT AND METHODS: This was a cross sectional study. A sample of 344 subjects aged 18-59 years old was selected at random from 10 communes of three provinces in Western Cambodia. A structured questionnaire was developed to collect the data. The dependent variable was inappropriate use of antibiotics. The independent variable included average monthly family income, habitual use of medicine. A logistic regression was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: 23.84% of the sample used antibiotic during the past 3 months, of which 14.83% were inappropriate use. The multivariate analy- sis indicated factor associated with inappropriate use of antibiotics were: low family income (adj. OR = 3.39; 95%CI: 1.18 to 9.74; p=0.024) and habitual use of oral antibiotics when having a cold (adj. OR=6.44; 95% CI: 1.55 to 26.91; p=0.010). The protective factor was habit of using oral anti- biotics when having sorethroat (adj. OR=0.24; 95%CI: 0.08 to 0.78; p=0.018). CONCLUSION: Almost a quarter of the samples used antibiotics. Low income and inappropriate antibiotic administration in respiratory tract infection increase the risk of antibiotic misuse. Keywords: inappropriate use, antibiotics, income, habit, working age population

The Chemical Compositions of Very Metal-Poor Stars HD 122563 and HD 140283; A View From the Infrared

From high resolution (R = 45,000), high signal-to-noise (S/N > 400) spectra gathered with the Immersion Grating Infrared Spectrograph (IGRINS) in the H and K photometric bands, we have derived elemental abundances of two bright, well-known metal-poor halo stars: the red giant HD 122563 and the subgiant HD 140283. Since these stars have metallicities approaching [Fe/H] = -3, their absorption features are generally very weak. Neutral-species lines of Mg, Si, S and Ca are detectable, as well as those of the light odd-Z elements Na and Al. The derived IR-based abundances agree with those obtained from optical-wavelength spectra. For Mg and Si the abundances from the infrared transitions are improvements to those derived from shorter wavelength data. Many useful OH and CO lines can be detected in the IGRINS HD 122563 spectrum, from which derived O and C abundances are consistent to those obtained from the traditional [O I] and CH features. IGRINS high resolutions H- and K-band spectroscopy offers promising ways to determine more reliable abundances for additional metal-poor stars whose optical features are either not detectable, or too weak, or are based on lines with analytical difficulties.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ (28 pages, 4 tables, 6 figures

Microbiota-Produced N-Formyl Peptide fMLF Promotes Obesity-Induced Glucose Intolerance.

The composition of the gastrointestinal microbiota and associated metabolites changes dramatically with diet and the development of obesity. Although many correlations have been described, specific mechanistic links between these changes and glucose homeostasis remain to be defined. Here we show that blood and intestinal levels of the microbiota-produced N-formyl peptide, formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine, are elevated in high-fat diet-induced obese mice. Genetic or pharmacological inhibition of the N-formyl peptide receptor Fpr1 leads to increased insulin levels and improved glucose tolerance, dependent upon glucagon-like peptide 1. Obese Fpr1 knockout mice also display an altered microbiome, exemplifying the dynamic relationship between host metabolism and microbiota. Overall, we describe a new mechanism by which the gut microbiota can modulate glucose metabolism, providing a potential approach for the treatment of metabolic disease

(±)-Cyclo­hexane-1,2-diyl bis­(4-nitro­benzoate)

The crystal structure of the title compound, C20H18N2O8, has been investigated to establish the relative stereochemistry between the ester groups. The cyclo­hexane ring adopts a chair conformation, in which the two ester groups occupy the adjacent equatorial positions in a trans relationship with each other. The mol­ecules assemble in the crystal as chains along the c axis via C—H⋯π inter­actions between the cyclo­hexane ring and a pair of nitro­phenyl rings of the neighbouring mol­ecule. Also observed are π–π stacking inter­actions between the nitro­phenyl rings of neighbouring chains, with a perpendicular distance between these rings of 3.409 Å and a slippage of 0.969 Å