Rate of growth of tamarack (Larix tarcina) in Cedarburg Bog

This study was undertaken to determine the influence of bog conditions on growth rate of tamarack (Larix larcina). The Cedarburg Bog in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin presents a unique opportunity for such study since it includes the southernmost string bog in the United States (Grittinger, 1970). My results demonstrate very slow growth of tamarack in Cedarburg Bog both in diameter and height. Differences in growth rates depend on the particular area of the bog, aeration, and mineral availability. As indicated by other studies, much more work is needed to determine how various factors affect growth of trees as well as other plants in string bogs

Cognitive and Metacognitive Factors in Reading Comprehension for Occupational Therapy Assistant Students

Difficulties with reading comprehension among occupational therapy assistant (OTA) students can diminish their ability to understand didactic textual information limiting clinical performance and can impact OTA attrition rates and limit graduate success when completing the national certification examination. Participants were one cohort of OTA students from a rural public community college. This was a convergent mixed-method design (Creswell & Creswell, 2018). The students’ perceptions of cognitive and metacognitive factors affecting reading and the students’ preferences for cognitive and metacognitive strategies were assessed through a 59-item survey assessment combining the Text-Learning Strategies Inventory (TLSI) (Merchie, Van Keer, & Vandevelde, 2014), the Metacomprehension Scale (MCS) (Moore, Zabrucky, & Commander, 1993) and three open-ended questions, respectively. Two course examinations were also reviewed, pre- and post reading comprehension strategy instruction. After the instruction, perceptions increased for 50 percent of survey items with a p=value of .001 and a Cohen’s d medium effect size (.314). Course exams scores increased for 70 percent of participants with a p=value of .047 and a Cohen’s d large effect size (.608). Error analysis of open-ended questions also showed a change in students’ preferences moving toward higher order thinking strategies. Participants examination performance improved after reading strategy instruction particular to OTA academic material. The participants changed their perceptions and preferences for reading and demonstrated a deeper reading level with text-based information and examination questions. Data indicated a significant improvement in OTA student examination performance and change of OTA students’ perceptions of cognitive factors and metacognitive factors associated with reading comprehension

Medicine shortages and challenges with the procurement process among public sector hospitals in South Africa : findings and implications

Background: Medicine shortages are a complex global challenge affecting all countries. This includes South Africa where ongoing medicine shortages are a concern among public sector hospitals as South Africa strives for universal access to healthcare. The objectives of this research were to highlight challenges in the current pharmaceutical procurement process for public sector hospitals. Subsequently, suggest potential ways forward based on the findings as the authorities in South Africa seek to improve the procurement process. Method: Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 pharmacy managers in public sector hospitals in the Gauteng Province, South Africa. A thematic content analysis was performed, with transcripts coded by two of the authors. Coding was discussed until consensus was reached. Categories were developed and grouped into themes. Results: The ‘Procurement process’ emerged from the data as the overarching theme, rooted in three main themes: (i) The buy-out process that was used to procure medicines from suppliers other than the contracted ones; (ii) Suppliers not performing thereby contributing to medicine shortages in the hospitals; and (iii) Challenges such as the inaccuracy of the electronic inventory management system used in the hospitals. Conclusions: Effective management of contracts of suppliers by the Provincial Department of Health is crucial to ensure accessibility and availability of essential medicines to all citizens of South Africa. Ongoing monitoring and support for the future use of computerised inventory management systems is important to reduce medicine shortages, and this is being followed up

Traumatic brain injury and the effects of diazepam, diltiazem, and MK-801 on GABA-A receptor subunit expression in rat hippocampus

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Excitatory amino acid release and subsequent biochemical cascades following traumatic brain injury (TBI) have been well documented, especially glutamate-related excitotoxicity. The effects of TBI on the essential functions of inhibitory GABA-A receptors, however, are poorly understood.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We used Western blot procedures to test whether <it>in vivo </it>TBI in rat altered the protein expression of hippocampal GABA-A receptor subunits α1, α2, α3, α5, β3, and γ2 at 3 h, 6 h, 24 h, and 7 days post-injuy. We then used pre-injury injections of MK-801 to block calcium influx through the NMDA receptor, diltiazem to block L-type voltage-gated calcium influx, or diazepam to enhance chloride conductance, and re-examined the protein expressions of α1, α2, α3, and γ2, all of which were altered by TBI in the first study and all of which are important constituents in benzodiazepine-sensitive GABA-A receptors.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Western blot analysis revealed no injury-induced alterations in protein expression for GABA-A receptor α2 or α5 subunits at any time point post-injury. Significant time-dependent changes in α1, α3, β3, and γ2 protein expression. The pattern of alterations to GABA-A subunits was nearly identical after diltiazem and diazepam treatment, and MK-801 normalized expression of all subunits 24 hours post-TBI.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These studies are the first to demonstrate that GABA-A receptor subunit expression is altered by TBI <it>in vivo</it>, and these alterations may be driven by calcium-mediated cascades in hippocampal neurons. Changes in GABA-A receptors in the hippocampus after TBI may have far-reaching consequences considering their essential importance in maintaining inhibitory balance and their extensive impact on neuronal function.</p

Profiling commenters on mental health-related online forums : a methodological example focusing on eating disorder-related commenters

Background Understanding the characteristics of commenters on mental health-related online forums is vital for the development of effective psychological interventions in these communities. The way in which commenters interact can enhance our understanding of their characteristics. Objective Using eating disorder-related (EDR) forums as an example, this study details a methodology that aimed to determine subtypes of mental health-related forums, and profile their commenters based on the other forums to which they contributed. Methods The researchers identified all public EDR-forums (with ≥500 contributing commenters between March 2017 and February 2018) on a large online discussion platform (Reddit). A mixed-methods approach comprising network analysis with community-detection, text-mining and manual review identified subtypes of EDR-forums. For each subtype, another network analysis with community-detection was conducted using the EDR-forum commenter-overlap between 50 forums on which the commenters also commented. The topics of forums in each detected community were then manually reviewed to identify the shared interests of each subtype of EDR-forum commenters. Results Six subtypes of EDR-forums were identified, to which 14024 commenters had contributed. The results focus on two subtypes – pro-eating disorder, and thinspiration – and communities of commenters within both subtypes. Within the pro-eating disorder subtype, three communities of commenters were detected that related to the body and eating, mental health, and women, appearance and mixed topics. Regarding the thinspiration group, 78% of commenters had also commented on pornographic forums, and 17% had contributed to pro-eating disorder forums. Conclusions The article exemplifies a methodology that provides insight into subtypes of mental health-related forums, and the characteristics of their commenters. The findings have implications for future research, and online psychological interventions. With the publicly available data and code provided, researchers can easily reproduce the analyses, or utilise the methodology to investigate other mental health-related forums

DataComm in Flight Deck Surface Trajectory-Based Operations

The purpose of this pilot-in-the-loop aircraft taxi simulation was to evaluate a NextGen concept for surface trajectory-based operations (STBO) in which air traffic control (ATC) issued taxi clearances with a required time of arrival (RTA) by Data Communications (DataComm). Flight deck avionics, driven by an error-nulling algorithm, displayed the speed needed to meet the RTA. To ensure robustness of the algorithm, the ability of 10 two-pilot crews to meet the RTA was tested in nine experimental trials representing a range of realistic conditions including a taxi route change, an RTA change, a departure clearance change, and a crossing traffic hold scenario. In some trials, these DataComm taxi clearances or clearance modifications were accompanied by preview information, in which the airport map display showed a preview of the proposed route changes, including the necessary speed to meet the RTA. Overall, the results of this study show that with the aid of the RTA speed algorithm, pilots were able to meet their RTAs with very little time error in all of the robustness-testing scenarios. Results indicated that when taxi clearance changes were issued by DataComm only, pilots required longer notification distances than with voice communication. However, when the DataComm was accompanied by graphical preview, the notification distance required by pilots was equivalent to that for voice

The Scope of Published Population Genetic Data for Indo-Pacific Marine Fauna and Future Research Opportunities in the Region

Marine biodiversity reaches its pinnacle in the tropical Indo-Pacific region, with high levels of both species richness and endemism, especially in coral reef habitats. While this pattern of biodiversity has been known to biogeographers for centuries, causal mechanisms remain enigmatic. Over the past 20 yrs, genetic markers have been employed by many researchers as a tool to elucidate patterns of biodiversity above and below the species level, as well as to make inferences about the underlying processes of diversification, demographic history, and dispersal. In a quantitative, comparative framework, these data can be synthesized to address questions about this bewildering diversity by treating species as “replicates.” However, the sheer size of the Indo-Pacific region means that the geographic and genetic scope of many species’ data sets are not complementary. Here, we describe data sets from 116 Indo-Pacific species (108 studies). With a mind to future synthetic investigations, we consider the strengths and omissions of currently published population genetic data for marine fauna of the Indo-Pacific region, as well as the geographic and taxonomic scope of the data, and suggest some ways forward for data collection and collation

Simultaneous Papillary Carcinoma in Thyroglossal Duct Cyst and Thyroid

Thyroglossal duct cyst (TDC) is a cystic expansion of a remnant of the thyroglossal duct tract. Carcinomas in the TDC are extremely rare and are usually an incidental finding after the Sistrunk procedure. In this report, an unusual case of a 36-year-old woman with concurrent papillary thyroid carcinoma arising in the TDC and on the thyroid gland is presented, followed by a discussion of the controversies surrounding the possible origins of a papillary carcinoma in the TDC, as well as the current management options

Far Ultraviolet Observations of the Dwarf Nova VW Hyi in Quiescence

We present a 904-1183 A spectrum of the dwarf nova VW Hydri taken with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer during quiescence, eleven days after a normal outburst, when the underlying white dwarf accreter is clearly exposed in the far ultraviolet. However, model fitting show that a uniform temperature white dwarf does not reproduce the overall spectrum, especially at the shortest wavelengths. A better approximation to the spectrum is obtained with a model consisting of a white dwarf and a rapidly rotating ``accretion belt''. The white dwarf component accounts for 83% of the total flux, has a temperature of 23,000K, a v sin i = 400 km/s, and a low carbon abundance. The best-fit accretion belt component accounts for 17% of the total flux, has a temperature of about 48,000-50,000K, and a rotation rate Vrot sin i around 3,000-4,000 km/s. The requirement of two components in the modeling of the spectrum of VW Hyi in quiescence helps to resolve some of the differences in interpretation of ultraviolet spectra of VW Hyi in quiescence. However, the physical existence of a second component (and its exact nature) in VW Hyi itself is still relatively uncertain, given the lack of better models for spectra of the inner disk in a quiescent dwarf nova.Comment: 6 figures, 10 printed page in the journal, to appear in APJ, 1 Sept. 2004 issue, vol. 61