The Principles of General Systems Theory Applied to the Medical Model: Who Benefits?

The term Medical Model , though frequently used by professionals, theoreticians and laymen in referring to certain aspects of the medical profession, or of the entire medical system, is rarely used with any degree of precision. The term, indeed, has been used as a shorthand expression, leaving it unnecessary to explicate descriptively the interrelated components of the medical arena. The theories, conceptual constructs, practice, and operating ideologies of the Medical Model, and their association with bi-cultural, economic, political and other concepts are left unspoken. These elements are simply assumed to be implicit in the use of the term. It is our contention, however, that many using the term are not cognizant of the relationship between the variables that hold the model intact Because of this, relevant linkages and causative relations generally do not receive proper attention. This essay will not attempt to prove that individuals misuse the term. Instead, efforts will be directed toward delineating the properties of the medical model of psychiatric practice (which has strong influence on most social service systems) in terms of principles associated with general systems theory Within this context, we will introduce systematic aspects of the medical model, showing how many of its parts are independently systematized, and how each part, as a collective, serves as a model for psychiatric determination

The Wife of the Alcoholic; Sexist Stereotypes in the Alcoholism Literature

Current alcoholism literature, alcoholism education, and alcoholism treatment suggests that the wife of the alcoholic is every bit as sick (physically, mentally, and spiritually) as her practicing alcoholic husband. How did we come to this view of the wife of the alcoholic? This paper will review 1) how the wife of the alcoholic has been regarded over the years; 2) how these portraits of the wife of the alcoholic that appeared in the scholarly literature have influenced current thinking and treatment, and 3) how this body of literature and the popular concepts of the wife of the alcoholic that evolved from it, carry sexual biases and stereotyping that can potentially interfere with optimum treatment, full recovery, and effective marital and family functioning

Visual representation of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease and Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network criteria for anaphylaxis

We present a user-friendly visual representation of The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease and the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network criteria so as to enhance recognition of anaphylaxis and active teaching and learning

Human language reveals a universal positivity bias

Using human evaluation of 100,000 words spread across 24 corpora in 10 languages diverse in origin and culture, we present evidence of a deep imprint of human sociality in language, observing that (i ) the words of natural human language possess a universal positivity bias, (ii ) the estimated emotional content of words is consistent between languages under translation, and (iii ) this positivity bias is strongly independent of frequency of word use. Alongside these general regularities, we describe interlanguage variations in the emotional spectrum of languages that allow us to rank corpora. We also show how our word evaluations can be used to construct physical-like instruments for both real-time and offline measurement of the emotional content of large-scale texts

Reply to Garcia et al.: Common mistakes in measuring frequency-dependent word characteristics

We demonstrate that the concerns expressed by Garcia et al. are misplaced, due to (1) a misreading of our findings in [1]; (2) a widespread failure to examine and present words in support of asserted summary quantities based on word usage frequencies; and (3) a range of misconceptions about word usage frequency, word rank, and expert-constructed word lists. In particular, we show that the English component of our study compares well statistically with two related surveys, that no survey design influence is apparent, and that estimates of measurement error do not explain the positivity biases reported in our work and that of others. We further demonstrate that for the frequency dependence of positivity---of which we explored the nuances in great detail in [1]---Garcia et al. did not perform a reanalysis of our data---they instead carried out an analysis of a different, statistically improper data set and introduced a nonlinearity before performing linear regression.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, 1 table. Expanded version of reply appearing in PNAS 201

Miles to go (mtgo) encodes FNDC3 proteins that interact with the chaperonin subunit CCT3 and are required for NMJ branching and growth in Drosophila.

Analysis of mutants that affect formation and function of the Drosophila larval neuromuscular junction (NMJ) has provided valuable insight into genes required for neuronal branching and synaptic growth. We report that NMJ development in Drosophila requires both the Drosophila ortholog of FNDC3 genes; CG42389 (herein referred to as miles to go; mtgo), and CCT3, which encodes a chaperonin complex subunit. Loss of mtgo function causes late pupal lethality with most animals unable to escape the pupal case, while rare escapers exhibit an ataxic gait and reduced lifespan. NMJs in mtgo mutant larvae have dramatically reduced branching and growth and fewer synaptic boutons compared with control animals. Mutant larvae show normal locomotion but display an abnormal self-righting response and chemosensory deficits that suggest additional functions of mtgo within the nervous system. The pharate lethality in mtgo mutants can be rescued by both low-level pan- and neuronal-, but not muscle-specific expression of a mtgo transgene, supporting a neuronal-intrinsic requirement for mtgo in NMJ development. Mtgo encodes three similar proteins whose domain structure is most closely related to the vertebrate intracellular cytosolic membrane-anchored fibronectin type-III domain-containing protein 3 (FNDC3) protein family. Mtgo physically and genetically interacts with Drosophila CCT3, which encodes a subunit of the TRiC/CCT chaperonin complex required for maturation of actin, tubulin and other substrates. Drosophila larvae heterozygous for a mutation in CCT3 that reduces binding between CCT3 and MTGO also show abnormal NMJ development similar to that observed in mtgo null mutants. Hence, the intracellular FNDC3-ortholog MTGO and CCT3 can form a macromolecular complex, and are both required for NMJ development in Drosophila

The Vehicle, 1968, Vol. 10 no. 2

Vol. 10, No. 2 Table of Contents 1st Prize, ArtCorner of My MindGerry Moreheadpage 4 #1Clyde Simspage 5 Aesthetics for a VagabondByron Nelsonpage 5 1st Prize, Short StorySteam HeatCharles Whitepage 6 a drawingSally Roachpage 6 an untitled themeCatherine Waitepage 8 MoodKevin Sheapage 9 1st Prize, PoetryHome ThoughtsJane Careypage 10 an untitled poemCatherine Waitepage 11 a drawingSally Roachpage 11 GraceJames T. Jonespage 12 LonelinessSally Roachpage 14 Love, JimmyAstaire Pappaspage 14 CapturedJeff Nelsonpage 15 Winnie Davis Neely AwardUnconcernRoger Zulaufpage 17 an untitled poemDavid N. Deckerpage 17 Morality and American Foreign Policy: The Ever-widening GapBruce L. Berrypage 18 La LibertadChris Holavespage 19 1966Roger Zulaufpage 19 SinThomas W. Phippspage 20 a drawingRoger Perkinspage 20 Summer SweatJerry J. Carterpage 20 1st Prize, EssayCuriosityThomas W. Phippspage 21 A Bottle of DreamsMaurice Snivelypage 21 Chalk DustCatherine Waitepage 22 Diffused Existence or, a Meager Attempt at Helping You Over the Rough SpotsJan Gerlachpage 22 To *e.e.Paula Bresnanpage 22 A PoemThomas W. Phippspage 22 Beach PartyJerol Mikeworthpage 22 Wexford\u27s PartyRoy Lueckepage 23 The Four O\u27Clock ClubSally Roachpage 23 Chesterpage 24https://thekeep.eiu.edu/vehicle/1018/thumbnail.jp

New Insights in the Contribution of Voltage-Gated Nav Channels to Rat Aorta Contraction

BACKGROUND: Despite increasing evidence for the presence of voltage-gated Na(+) channels (Na(v)) isoforms and measurements of Na(v) channel currents with the patch-clamp technique in arterial myocytes, no information is available to date as to whether or not Na(v) channels play a functional role in arteries. The aim of the present work was to look for a physiological role of Na(v) channels in the control of rat aortic contraction. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Na(v) channels were detected in the aortic media by Western blot analysis and double immunofluorescence labeling for Na(v) channels and smooth muscle alpha-actin using specific antibodies. In parallel, using real time RT-PCR, we identified three Na(v) transcripts: Na(v)1.2, Na(v)1.3, and Na(v)1.5. Only the Na(v)1.2 isoform was found in the intact media and in freshly isolated myocytes excluding contamination by other cell types. Using the specific Na(v) channel agonist veratridine and antagonist tetrodotoxin (TTX), we unmasked a contribution of these channels in the response to the depolarizing agent KCl on rat aortic isometric tension recorded from endothelium-denuded aortic rings. Experimental conditions excluded a contribution of Na(v) channels from the perivascular sympathetic nerve terminals. Addition of low concentrations of KCl (2-10 mM), which induced moderate membrane depolarization (e.g., from -55.9+/-1.4 mV to -45.9+/-1.2 mV at 10 mmol/L as measured with microelectrodes), triggered a contraction potentiated by veratridine (100 microM) and blocked by TTX (1 microM). KB-R7943, an inhibitor of the reverse mode of the Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger, mimicked the effect of TTX and had no additive effect in presence of TTX. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These results define a new role for Na(v) channels in arterial physiology, and suggest that the TTX-sensitive Na(v)1.2 isoform, together with the Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger, contributes to the contractile response of aortic myocytes at physiological range of membrane depolarization

Asthma-associated genetic variants induce IL33 differential expression through an enhancer-blocking regulatory region

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have implicated the IL33 locus in asthma, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we identify a 5 kb region within the GWAS-defined segment that acts as an enhancer-blocking element in vivo and in vitro. Chromatin conformation capture showed that this 5 kb region loops to the IL33 promoter, potentially regulating its expression. We show that the asthma-associated single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs1888909, located within the 5 kb region, is associated with IL33 gene expression in human airway epithelial cells and IL-33 protein expression in human plasma, potentially through differential binding of OCT-1 (POU2F1) to the asthma-risk allele. Our data demonstrate that asthma-associated variants at the IL33 locus mediate allele-specific regulatory activity and IL33 expression, providing a mechanism through which a regulatory SNP contributes to genetic risk of asthma.This work was supported by NIH grants R01 HL118758, R01 HL128075, R01 HL119577, R01 HL085197, U19 AI095230, UG3 OD023282 and UM1 AI114271