The U.S. Health System in Perspective: A Comparison of Twelve Industrialized Nations

Compares the U.S. health system to those of twelve OECD countries based on measures of spending; physician supply and visits; utilization, supply, and prices of drugs and diagnostic imaging; and performance. Examines the causes of high U.S. spending

Explaining High Health Care Spending in the United States: An International Comparison of Supply, Utilization, Prices, and Quality

Compares healthcare spending, supply, utilization, prices, and quality in thirteen industrialized nations and examines the factors behind high U.S. spending, including higher prices and obesity rates, and low spending in Japan, including price regulation

Vertex evoked potentials in a rating-scale detection task: Relation to signal probability

Vertex evoked potentials were recorded from human subjects performing in an auditory detection task with rating scale responses. Three values of a priori probability of signal presentation were tested. The amplitudes of the N1 and P3 components of the vertex potential associated with correct detections of the signal were found to be systematically related to the strictness of the response criterion and independent of variations in a priori signal probability. No similar evoked potential components were found associated with signal absent judgements (misses and correct rejections) regardless of the confidence level of the judgement or signal probability. These results strongly support the contention that the form of the vertex evoked response is closely correlated with the subject's psychophysical decision regarding the presence or absence of a threshold level signal

Measuring the U.S. Health Care System: A Cross-National Comparison

Compares U.S. healthcare data including hospital beds and physicians, hospital and physician visits, healthcare spending, and high-tech procedures per capita, as well as life expectancy with those of twenty-nine other industrialized countries

Inelastic neutron scattering signal from deconfined spinons in a fractionalized antiferromagnet

We calculate the contribution of deconfined spinons to inelastic neutron scattering (INS) in the fractionalized antiferromagnet (AF*), introduced elsewhere. We find that the presence of free spin-1/2 charge-less excitations leads to a continuum INS signal above the Neel gap. This signal is found above and in addition to the usual spin-1 magnon signal, which to lowest order is the same as in the more conventional confined antiferromagnet. We calculate the relative weights of these two signals and find that the spinons contribute to the longitudinal response, where the magnon signal is absent to lowest order. Possible higher-order effects of interactions between magnons and spinons in the AF* phase are also discussed.Comment: 9 page

A Weak Gravitational Lensing Analysis of Abell 2390

We report on the detection of dark matter in the cluster Abell 2390 using the weak gravitational distortion of background galaxies. We find that the cluster light and total mass distributions are quite similar over an angular scale of \simeq 7^\prime \;(1 \Mpc). The cluster galaxy and mass distributions are centered on the cluster cD galaxy and exhibit elliptical isocontours in the central \simeq 2^\prime \; (280 \kpc). The major axis of the ellipticity is aligned with the direction defined by the cluster cD and a ``straight arc'' located $\simeq 38^{\prime\prime}$ to the northwest. We determined the radial mass-to-light profile for this cluster and found a constant value of $(320 \pm 90) h\; M_\odot/L_{\odot V}$, which is consistent with other published determinations. We also compared our weak lensing azimuthally averaged radial mass profile with a spherical mass model proposed by the CNOC group on the basis of their detailed dynamical study of the cluster. We find good agreement between the two profiles, although there are weak indications that the CNOC density profile may be falling more steeply for $\theta\geq 3^\prime$ (420\kpc).Comment: 14 pages, latex file. Postscript file and one additional figure are available at ftp://magicbean.berkeley.edu/pub/squires/a2390/massandlight.ps.g

Schematic Models for Active Nonlinear Microrheology

We analyze the nonlinear active microrheology of dense colloidal suspensions using a schematic model of mode-coupling theory. The model describes the strongly nonlinear behavior of the microscopic friction coefficient as a function of applied external force in terms of a delocalization transition. To probe this regime, we have performed Brownian dynamics simulations of a system of quasi-hard spheres. We also analyze experimental data on hard-sphere-like colloidal suspensions [Habdas et al., Europhys. Lett., 2004, 67, 477]. The behavior at very large forces is addressed specifically

Update on canine and feline parvoviral infections: who is infecting who?

In the northern hemisphere's summer of 1978, Canine parvovirus (CPV), the causative agent of canine parvoviral enteritis, appeared and spread rapidly all over the world. Serological surveys subsequently showed that dogs had not encountered CPV before 1974 in Europe. It is thought that CPV arose by mutation of a precursor parvovirus, probably one that had been circulating in Europe for some time among one or more carnivore species. An alternative and enticing suggestion was that CPV had arisen from a modified live feline panleucopenia vaccine virus; however this has not been supported by subsequent study. All CPV isolates clearly formed a single tight group, and were considered most likely to have been derived from a single, common ancestral virus. CPV is extremely closely related to feline panleucopenia virus (FPV) and has recently been described as a “host range variant of a feline virus”. Although remarkably similar to FPV, the 1978 strain of CPV specifically infected members of Canidae, whereas FPV was known to infect and cause disease in felids, procyonids (raccoons), mink (Mustela vison) and possibly foxes (Vulpes spp.), but not dogs

Characterisation of Endogenous Retroviral Elements in Canine DNA

Dogs suffer from a variety of neoplastic, immunological, degenerative and proliferative disorders for which a retroviral aetiology is suspected. Despite decades of effort, the significance of retroviruses in canine disease remains obscure. This murky subject has been clouded further by a dearth of information concerning canine endogenous retroviral complement and expression. Previous reports have described retroviral expression in both normal and neoplastic canine tissues; but have not defined the origin of the expression. It was considered of interest to determine whether such expression reflected the presence of endogenous retroviral elements in canine genomic DNA. If such elements were found, their aetiological significance in canine diseases would be investigated

Diagnosis and treatment of hepatobiliary and pancreatic disorders of the dog and cat

Diagnosis of hepatobiliary diseases – An overview: [Extract] The liver has many, diverse functions within the body and this is reflected in the many consequences of liver dysfunction. Like the kidneys, the liver has considerable functional reserve, so that significant hepatobiliary disease can exist before signs of dysfunction become evident. Clinical features of early liver disease are non-specific and include polyuria/polydipsia (PU/PD), vomiting, lethargy and inappetence. Findings that are suggestive of more severe hepatobiliary disease include: icterus, hyperammonaemia (leading to hepatic encephalopathy), hypoglycaemia, ascites and haemostatic disorders. Needless to say, there are many other causes of most of these clinical findings. Treatment of hepatobiliary disorders – an overview: [Extract] Surprisingly few studies have been done to evaluate the efficacy (or otherwise) of drugs used to treat hepatobiliary disease in dogs and cats. It would be ideal if randomized, double-blind placebocontrolled clinical trials formed the basis of many of our treatment choices. In reality, no such trials have been done and most of our clinical decisions are based upon small, non-randomized retrospective studies or extrapolations from human medicine based upon a reasonable understanding of underlying pathophysiology. An international group of veterinary hepatologists is now in the process of standardizing nomenclature as a prerequisite for commencing multi-centre collaborative studies. It is to be hoped that, in the coming years, high-quality scientific studies will be carried out and published as peerreviewed scientific articles, to allow a much more rational approach to therapy of hepatobiliary diseases, one based on high-quality evidence. However, that is for the future. Much of what follows is based upon rather flimsy evidence, but represents a summary of current practices. Exocrine pancreatic disorders: [Extract] Pancreatitis is a relatively common diagnosis in dogs and is being diagnosed with increasing frequency in cats. The true incidence of pancreatitis in dogs and cats is uncertain. It is likely that many cases are missed and, conversely, pancreatitis may sometimes be diagnosed incorrectly in patients with other gastrointestinal diseases