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Introduction: Pancreatic cancer (PC) in solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients is not well studied. Some PC cases may be incidentally detected during hepatobiliary imaging. Methods: We evaluated PC among 374,106 SOT recipients during 1995–2017 in the United States using linked data from the national transplant registry and multiple state/regional cancer registries. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were used to compare PC risk in recipients to the general population. We used multivariate Poisson regression to identify independent risk factors for PC. We assessed survival after PC diagnosis using Kaplan–Meier curves and log-rank tests. Results: SOT recipients had elevated incidence for PC compared with the general population (SIR 1.40, 95% CI 1.29–1.52), and this increase was strongest in liver recipients (1.65, 1.41–1.92). Among all recipients, PC incidence was especially increased for cases arising in the head of the pancreas (SIR 1.50, 95% CI 1.34–1.68) and for cases diagnosed at localized stage (1.85, 1.37–2.44). Among SOT recipients, factors independently associated with increased incidence were consistent with those in general population including male sex, older age, non-O blood type, and history of diabetes. Additionally, compared to other organ recipients, liver transplant recipients had higher PC incidence (adjusted incidence rate ratio 1.28; 95% CI 1.06–1.54). Overall survival after PC diagnosis was poor (median 4 months) and similar between liver and other organ transplant recipients (p = 0.08). Conclusions: PC incidence is elevated among SOT recipients, and more commonly diagnosed in liver transplant recipients perhaps related to incidental detection. However, survival is poor even in liver recipients, arguing against routine PC screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study is to develop data-driven models, including multilayer perceptron (MLP) and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), for estimating daily soil temperature at Champaign and Springfield stations in Illinois. The best input combinations (one, two, and three inputs) can be identified using MLP. The ANFIS is used to estimate daily soil temperature using the best input combinations (one, two, and three inputs). From the performance evaluation and scatter diagrams of MLP and ANFIS models, MLP 3 produces the best results for both stations at different depths (10 and 20 cm), and ANFIS 3 produces the best results for both stations at two different depths except for Champaign station at the 20 cm depth. Results of MLP are better than those of ANFIS for both stations at different depths. The MLP-based spatial distribution is used to estimate daily soil temperature using the best input combinations (one, two, and three inputs) at different depths below the ground. The MLP-based spatial distribution estimates daily soil temperature with high accuracy, but the results of MLP and ANFIS are better than those of the MLP-based spatial distribution for both stations at different depths. Data-driven models can estimate daily soil temperature successfully in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A life-saving treatment, solid organ transplantation (SOT) has transformed the survival and quality of life of patients with end-organ dysfunction. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted the practice of deceased and living donations worldwide by various resource shifting, including healthcare personnel and equipment such as ventilators and bed space. Our work explores the COVID-19 pandemic and global transplant data to create a statistical model for deducing the impact of COVID-19 on living donor and deceased donor transplants in the United States of America (USA). In severely impacted regions, transplant centers need to carefully balance the risks and benefits of performing a transplant during the COVID-19 pandemic. In our statistical model, the COVID cases are used as an explanatory variable (input) to living or deceased donor transplants (output). The model is shown to be statistically accurate for both estimation of the correlation structure, and prediction of future donors. The provided predictions are to be taken as probabilistic assertions, so that for each instant where the prediction is calculated, a statistical measure of accuracy (confidence interval) is provided. The method is tested on both low and high frequency data, that notoriously exhibit a different behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saxochelys gilberti is a baenid turtle from the Late Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation of the United States of America known from cranial, shell, and other postcranial material. Baenid turtles are taxonomically diverse and common fossil elements within Late Cretaceous through Eocene faunas. Detailed anatomical knowledge is critical to understanding the systematics and morphological evolution of the group. This is particularly important as baenids represent an important group of continental vertebrates that survived the mass extinction event associated with the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary. High-resolution micro-computed tomography scanning of the holotype skull reveals additional anatomical details for the already well-known Saxochelys gilberti. This includes the revision of some anatomical statements from the original description, but also detailed knowledge on internal anatomical features of the braincase and the description of a well-preserved axis (cervical vertebra 2). Our new detailed description and previous work on the shell and postcrania make Saxochelys one of the best-described, nearly complete baenid turtles, which are often only known from either isolated shell or cranial material. A revised phylogenetic analysis confirms the position of Saxochelys gilberti as a derived baenid (Eubaeninae) more closely related to Baena arenosa than to Eubaena cephalica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To estimate the incremental healthcare resource utilization (HRU) and cost burden posed by herpes zoster (HZ) in adult patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the United States. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using an administrative claims database containing commercial and Medicare Advantage with Part D data, between October 2015 and February 2020. Patients with RA and HZ (RA+/HZ+) or RA without HZ (RA+/HZ−) were identified based on diagnosis codes and relevant medications. Outcomes measured included HRU and medical, pharmacy, and total costs at month 1, quarter 1, and year 1 after the index date (HZ diagnosis for RA+/HZ+ cohort, randomly assigned for RA+/HZ− cohort). Generalized linear models incorporating propensity scores and other covariates were used to estimate differences in outcomes between cohorts. Results: A total of 1866 patients from the RA+/HZ+ cohort and 38,846 patients from the RA+/HZ− cohort were included. Hospitalizations and emergency department visits occurred more frequently in the RA+/HZ+ than the RA+/HZ− cohort, especially in the month after HZ diagnosis (adjusted incidence rate ratio [95% confidence interval (CI)] for hospitalizations: 3.4 [2.8; 4.2]; emergency department visits: 3.7 [3.0; 4.4]). Total costs were also higher in the month after HZ diagnosis (mean adjusted cost difference [95% CI]: $3404 [$2089; $4779]), with cost differences driven by increased medical costs ($2677 [$1692; $3670]). Conclusions: These findings highlight the high economic burden of HZ among individuals with RA in the United States. Strategies to reduce the risk of HZ in patients with RA (such as vaccination) may serve to reduce this burden. 5XaYxHPE7TWLkoqv3bZsDY Video abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biofuels made from biomass and waste residues will largely contribute to United States' 2050 decarbonization goal in the aviation sector. While cellulosic biofuels have the potential fuel performance equivalent to petroleum-based jet fuel, the biofuel industry needs to overcome the supply chain barrier caused by temporal and spatial variability of biomass yield and quality. This study highlights the importance of incorporating spatial and temporal variability during biomass supply chain planning via optimization modeling that incorporates 10 years of drought index data, a primary factor contributing to yield and quality variability. The results imply that the cost of delivering biomass to biorefinery may be significantly underestimated if the multi-year temporal and spatial variation in biomass yield and quality is not captured. For long term sustainable biorefinery operations, the industry should optimize supply chain strategy by studying the variability of yield and quality of biomass in their supply sheds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To estimate the incidence of herpes zoster (HZ) and rates of post-zoster pain in both the total study population and separately in patients with selected conditions/treatments associated with altered immune function. Methods: The health administrative claims databases for commercially insured, Medicare, and Medicaid populations, together accounting for approximately 51 million insured individuals, were analyzed between 2005 and 2009 in a retrospective cohort study. Incidence of HZ episodes per 1,000 person-years (PY) was estimated in all study populations as well as within nine potentially immune-altering conditions. Among patients with HZ, the 6-month rate of persistent post-zoster pain was estimated. Results: Analysis of 90.2 million PY at risk revealed that the incidence of HZ in the total study population was 4.82/1,000 PY. The incidence of HZ was highest among patients with bone marrow or stem cell transplant (43.03 %) followed by solid organ transplant, human immunodeficiency virus infection, and systemic lupus erythematosus [95 % confidence interval (CI) 15.19-17.41 %]. HZ incidence rates were higher among persons on immunosuppressants/chemotherapy than among non-users. In the total study population, HZ incidence increased with age (18-49 years: 3.37/1,000 PY; 65+ years: 8.43/1,000 PY; P < 0.01) and female gender (incidence ratio vs. male 1.39, 95 % CI 1.38-1.40 %). The 6-month rate of persistent post-zoster pain was 4.29 % (95 % CI 4.22-4.36 %), which was higher in patients with the selected conditions. Conclusions: Despite providing a relatively small fraction of overall HZ cases, persons with immune function-altering conditions make a large contribution to the societal healthcare burden because they have a higher risk of developing HZ and persistent post-zoster pain. These risk factors should be considered in HZ prevention efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Review of Education / Internationale Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: In March 2020, COVID-19 infections began to rise exponentially in the USA, placing substantial burden on the healthcare system. As a result, there was a rapid change in transplant practices and policies, with cessation of most procedures. Our goal was to understand changes to pediatric kidney transplantation (KT) at the national level during the COVID-19 epidemic. Methods: Using SRTR data, we examined changes in pediatric waitlist registration, waitlist removal or inactivation, and deceased donor and living donor (DDKT/LDKT) events during the start of the disease transmission in the USA compared with the same time the previous year. Results: We saw an initial decrease in DDKT and LDKT by 47% and 82% compared with expected events and then a continual increase, with numbers reaching expected prepandemic levels by May 2020. In the early phase of the pandemic, waitlist inactivation and removals due to death or deteriorating condition rose above expected values by 152% and 189%, respectively. There was a statistically significant decrease in new waitlist additions (IRR 0.49 0.65 0.85) and LDKT (IRR 0.17 0.38 0.84) in states with high vs. low COVID activity. Transplant recipients during the pandemic were more likely to have received a DDKT, but had similar calculated panel–reactive antibody (cPRA) values, waitlist time, and cause of kidney failure as before the pandemic. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic initially reduced access to kidney transplantation among pediatric patients in the USA but has not had a sustained effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renal transplantation is a vital treatment option in children with ESRD with more than 10,000 pediatric kidney transplants and survival rates of greater than 80% at 10 years post-transplant in the USA alone. Despite these advances, infection remains a significant cause of morbidity in pediatric recipients. Screening potential organ donors and recipients is imperative to identify and mitigate infectious risks in the transplant patient. Despite the unique risks of each patient, the timing of many infections post-transplant is predictable. In early post-transplant infections (within 30 days), bacterial and fungal pathogens predominate with donor-derived events and nosocomial infections. In the intermediate period (31–180 days after transplant), latent infections from donor organs, such as EBV and CMV, develop. Late infections occurring > 180 days after the transplant can be due to latent pathogens or community-acquired organisms. Approaching an infectious evaluation in a pediatric kidney recipient requires finesse to diagnose and treat this vulnerable population in a timely manner. The following article highlights the most relevant and common infections including clinical manifestations, risk factors, diagnostic techniques, and treatment options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the authors' study which investigates the inclusion of weight bias awareness in the training program for MFT (marriage and family therapy) students. Topics discussed include an overview of the procedures used by the authors to acquire the relevant data for the study, the use of the six coding method recommended by researchers R. Kruger and M.A. Casey in the analysis of the acquired data, and a comprehensive analysis of the results.

Between 1958 and 1960, all of France's colonies in West Africa became independent. While recent historical studies have shed light on the sociopolitical developments that led to the collapse of the French empire in this part of Africa, very few of them have explored the American or other third-party dimensions of this process. In so doing, they have confined the story of decolonisation to an exclusive Franco-African affair. Using a transnational historical approach, this article argues that a number of US public spheres, including various newspapers contributed to the decolonisation saga in French West Africa. This was carried out through their performative coverage of the colonial situation. Although the French imperial state attempted to hold back the tide of anti-colonial sentiment in the USA through judicious public relations campaigns that targeted American public opinion and policy-makers, its efforts proved largely illusory. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

It is known that δ-type sunspot groups have a high flare productivity and produce strong flares. In particular, βγδ type sunspots are the most active type of all. A βγδ active region NOAA 9957 with frequent flux cancellations but without any marked flare activity during its decay phase was studied in this work. Using SOHO/MDI Dopplergrams and magnetograms, we detected continuous prominent downflow motions of 1500 - 1700 m s for several hours on the magnetic neutral line in this region. In the downflow region, penumbral structures were observed to decay. We will interpret and discuss the phenomenon as a case of submergence of the magnetic flux. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The methods used for regulatory decisions must facilitate three kinds of communication: (i) with individual experts who must translate their knowledge into usable form; (ii) among the experts whose pooled knowledge informs those choices; and (iii) between regulators and those affected by their choices. Decision-making methods vary in their reliance on expert judgement and computational methods and, hence, in their ability to meet the goals of sound decision making: breadth, depth, precision, neutrality, evaluability and transparency. An approach developed by the US FDA, the Benefit-Risk Framework, integrates judgement and computation, cognizant of their strengths and weaknesses. Its application both requires and facilitates good communication about risks and benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are the gold standard for assessing the efficacy of drugs but not necessarily so for drug safety where inadequate power to detect either multiple or rare adverse events is a major handicap. Furthermore, the conditions under which drugs are approved for market use are often different from the settings in actual use. Indeed, with their control mechanisms, trials are by design largely inadequate for the identification of potential safety signals, especially of the rare type, hence the value of post-marketing surveillance and risk management plan-based activities. Today, clinical trials constitute only a part of the research that goes into assessing the safety of drugs. Observational studies, where the investigators merely collect data on treatments received by patients and their health status in routine clinical practice are increasing in uptake because they reflect the real-life utility of drugs, despite the absence of random treatment assignment. Although such studies generally provide less compelling evidence than RCTs, they can be far more useful to drug safety assessment activities than generally acknowledged. An increasing number of post-authorization safety studies (PASS) within the European Medicines Agency's jurisdiction are of the observational type-considered perhaps as more appropriate vehicles for exploring and documenting how products perform in the real world. A similar trend is emerging in the US following the FDA Amendments Act of 2007; since early 2010, an increasing number of post-approval commitments mandated by the FDA include observational studies. However, despite this pattern, not much is known about ongoing efforts to address many of the recognized inadequacies associated with existing methodologies and practices currently adopted in observational PASS. This current opinion presents an overview of some of the main challenges we face in prospective observational PASS, mainly from practical experience, and proposes certain steps for improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies of NOAA active region 10953, by Okamoto et al. ( Astrophys. J. Lett. 673, 215, ; Astrophys. J. 697, 913, ), have interpreted photospheric observations of changing widths of the polarities and reversal of the horizontal magnetic field component as signatures of the emergence of a twisted flux tube within the active region and along its internal polarity inversion line (PIL). A filament is observed along the PIL and the active region is assumed to have an arcade structure. To investigate this scenario, MacTaggart and Hood ( Astrophys. J. Lett. 716, 219, ) constructed a dynamic flux emergence model of a twisted cylinder emerging into an overlying arcade. The photospheric signatures observed by Okamoto et al. (, ) are present in the model although their underlying physical mechanisms differ. The model also produces two additional signatures that can be verified by the observations. The first is an increase in the unsigned magnetic flux in the photosphere at either side of the PIL. The second is the behaviour of characteristic photospheric flow profiles associated with twisted flux tube emergence. We look for these two signatures in AR 10953 and find negative results for the emergence of a twisted flux tube along the PIL. Instead, we interpret the photospheric behaviour along the PIL to be indicative of photospheric magnetic cancellation driven by flows from the dominant sunspot. Although we argue against flux emergence within this particular region, the work demonstrates the important relationship between theory and observations for the successful discovery and interpretation of signatures of flux emergence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Published studies and audits have documented that a significant number of U.S. Army systems are failing to demonstrate established reliability requirements. In order to address this issue, the Army developed a new reliability policy in December 2007 which encourages use of cost-effective reliability best practices. The intent of this policy is to improve reliability of Army systems and material, which in turn will have a significant positive impact on mission effectiveness, logistics effectiveness and life-cycle costs. Under this policy, the Army strongly encourages the use of Physics of Failure (PoF) analysis on mechanical and electronics systems. At the US Army Materiel Systems Analysis Activity, PoF analyses are conducted to support contractors, program managers and engineers on systems in all stages of acquisition from design, to test and evaluation (T&E) and fielded systems. This article discusses using the PoF approach to improve reliability of military products. PoF is a science-based approach to reliability that uses modeling and simulation to eliminate failures early in the design process by addressing root-cause failure mechanisms in a computer-aided engineering environment. The PoF approach involves modeling the root causes of failure such as fatigue, fracture, wear, and corrosion. Computer-aided design tools have been developed to address various loads, stresses, failure mechanisms, and failure sites. This paper focuses on understanding the cause and effect of physical processes and mechanisms that cause degradation and failure of materials and components. A reliability assessment case study of circuit cards consisting of dense circuitry is discussed. System level dynamics models, component finite element models and fatigue-life models were used to reveal the underlying physics of the hardware in its mission environment. Outputs of these analyses included forces acting on the system, displacements of components, accelerations, stress levels, weak points in the design and probable component life. This information may be used during the design process to make design changes early in the acquisition process when changes are easier to make and are much more cost effective. Design decisions and corrective actions made early in the acquisition phase leads to improved efficiency and effectiveness of the T&E process. The intent is to make fixes prior to T&E which will reduce test time and cost, allow more information to be obtained from test and improve test focus. PoF analyses may be conducted for failures occurring during test to better understand the underlying physics of the problem and identify the root cause of failures which may lead to better fixes for problems discovered, reduced test-fix-test iterations and reduced decision risk. The same analyses and benefits mentioned above may be applied to systems which are exhibiting failures in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a paucity of information on the utilization patterns of liver transplantation (LT) for HIV-positive individuals. The aim of this study is to examine the trends in LT of HIV patients in the US. This study was a retrospective analysis using the UNOS database (1999-2008). There were 135 HIV-positive patients. There was a steady increase in the number of LT recipients over time as well as regional variation. Ethnic minorities accounted for 33.3% and there was no ethnic difference in survival. Though LT for HIV-positive patients is on the rise, significant variations exist in patient demographics, geographic location, and insurance payer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the multiwavelength observations of a flux rope that was trying to erupt from NOAA AR 11045 and the associated M-class solar flare on 12 February 2010 using space-based and ground-based observations from TRACE, STEREO, SOHO/MDI, Hinode/XRT, and BBSO. While the flux rope was rising from the active region, an M1.1/2F class flare was triggered near one of its footpoints. We suggest that the flare triggering was due to the reconnection of a rising flux rope with the surrounding low-lying magnetic loops. The flux rope reached a projected height of ≈0.15 R with a speed of ≈90 km s while the soft X-ray flux enhanced gradually during its rise. The flux rope was suppressed by an overlying field, and the filled plasma moved towards the negative polarity field to the west of its activation site. We found the first observational evidence of the initial suppression of a flux rope due to a remnant filament visible both at chromospheric and coronal temperatures that evolved a couple of days earlier at the same location in the active region. SOHO/MDI magnetograms show the emergence of a bipole ≈12 h prior to the flare initiation. The emerged negative polarity moved towards the flux rope activation site, and flare triggering near the photospheric polarity inversion line (PIL) took place. The motion of the negative polarity region towards the PIL helped in the build-up of magnetic energy at the flare and flux rope activation site. This study provides unique observational evidence of a rising flux rope that failed to erupt due to a remnant filament and overlying magnetic field, as well as associated triggering of an M-class flare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We amassed statistics for quiet-sun chromosphere spicules at the limb using ground-based observations from the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope on La Palma and simultaneously from NASA’s Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE) spacecraft. The observations were obtained in July 2006. With the 0.2 arcsecond resolution obtained after maximizing the ground-based resolution with the Multi-Object Multi-Frame Blind Deconvolution (MOMFBD) program, we obtained specific statistics for sizes and motions of over two dozen individual spicules, based on movies compiled at 50-second cadence for the series of five wavelengths observed in a very narrow band at Hα, on-band and at ± 0.035 nm and ± 0.070 nm (10 s at each wavelength) using the SOUP filter, and had simultaneous observations in the 160 nm EUV continuum from TRACE. The MOMFBD restoration also automatically aligned the images, facilitating the making of Dopplergrams at each off-band pair. We studied 40 Hα spicules, and 14 EUV spicules that overlapped Hα spicules; we found that their dynamical and morphological properties fit into the framework of several previous studies. From a preliminary comparison with spicule theories, our observations are consistent with a reconnection mechanism for spicule generation, and with UV spicules being a sheath region surrounding the Hα spicules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gait analysis is actually used in subjects with scoliosis to determine the change in lower limb parameters after surgery, but the reliability of these parameters still remained unknown. The purpose of this study was to assess the repeatability of traditional gait parameters in subjects with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) and to estimate the associated standard error of measurement (SEM). A test–retest design was used to assess the reliability of gait parameters at self-selected and fast speeds. A convenience sample of 20 girls aged from 12 to 17 years, with an idiopathic scoliosis (King classification: types I, II or III; Cobb angle 17–50°) participated in the study. Five good trials were recorded on two occasions. The time-distance, kinematic, and kinetic gait parameters were recorded using foot-switches in combination with a three-dimensional motion analysis system (Optotrak) and Advanced Mechanical Technologies Inc., (AMTI) Watertown, MA, USA; force plates. The coefficients of dependability and SEM derived from the generalizability theory were used to assess the reliability. Inter-trial reliability was good for time-distance, kinematic, and kinetic (absolute and normalized) gait parameters except for the medio-lateral ground reaction force (GRF) component and the ankle dorsiflexor moment ( ϕ = 0.60–0.77). Test–retest reliability was higher for the kinetic than for the kinematic parameters. These coefficients ranged from 0.42 to 0.58 for the time-distance parameters; from 0.55 to 0.88 for the angular displacements and from 0.25 to 0.99 for the kinetic parameters. The SEMs were lower than 3.3° for the angular displacements and lower than 8 Nm (0.15 Nm/kg) and 36 W (0.54 W/Kg) for the joint moments and powers regardless of the speed. Several gait parameters are reliable among subjects with AIS and can be used to assess the evolution of the spinal modifications and the impact of treatment on their lower limb gait pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Learning environments overtly or implicitly address patient-centered values and have been the focus of research for more than 40 years, often in studies about the ‘hidden curriculum.’ However, many of these studies occurred at single medical schools and used time-intensive ethnographic methods. This field of inquiry lacks survey methods and information about how learning environments differ across medical schools. OBJECTIVE: To examine patient-centered characteristics of learning environments at 9 U.S. medical schools. DESIGN: Cross-sectional internet-based survey. PARTICIPANTS: Eight-hundred and twenty-three third- and fourth-year medical students in the classes of 2002 and 2003. MEASUREMENTS: We measured the patient-centeredness of learning environments with the Communication, Curriculum, and Culture (C³) Instrument, a 29-item validated measure that characterizes the degree to which a medical school's environment fosters patient-centered care. The C³ Instrument contains 3 content areas (role modeling, students' experiences, and support for students' patient-centered behaviors), and is designed to measure these areas independent of respondents' attitudes about patient-centered care. We also collected demographic and attitudinal information from respondents. RESULTS: The variability of C³ scores across schools in each of the 3 content areas of the instrument was striking and statistically significant (P values ranged from .001 to .004). In addition, the patterns of scores on the 3 content areas differed from school to school. CONCLUSIONS: The 9 schools demonstrated unique and different learning environments both in terms of magnitude and patterns of characteristics. Further multiinstitutional study of hidden curricula is needed to further establish the degree of variability that exists, and to assist educators in making informed choices about how to intervene at their own schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Despite theoretical concerns that health care related distrust may lead to poor health outcomes by interfering with effective health care, little is currently known about the prevalence or outcomes of distrust of the health care system in the United States.Objective: To investigate the association between distrust of the health care system and self-reported health status among the general population in the United States.Design: Random-digit-dialing telephone survey.Participants: Nine hundred and sixty-one adult residents of the continental U.S.Primary Measures: Distrust of the health care system and self-reported health status.Results: Distrust of the health care system is relatively high in the United States, with between 20% and 80% of respondents reporting distrust for each item on the Health Care System Distrust scale and a median scale score of 31 (potential range from 10 to 50). Distrust of the health care system is strongly associated with self-reported fair/poor health (odds ratio [OR] 1.40%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.12 to 1.75 for each standard deviation increase in distrust), even after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, access to health care and trust in primary physicians. In contrast, low trust in one's primary physician is much lower (only 10% to 20% of respondents reported distrust for each item) and is not associated with health status.Conclusions: Distrust of the health care system is relatively high in the general population in the United States and is strongly associated with worse self-reported health. Further studies are needed to assess the direction of this association and the mechanisms involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Features the career development of several corporate executives in San Diego. Greatest achievement of the executives; History of their entrepreneurship in San Diego; Favorite part of the town.

Probes into the factors that contributed to the success of San Diego as one of the high technology centers of the world. Research community as the major secret of the success of San Diego; Evolution of San Diego from a military town into one of the world's high technology regions due to generation of more employment; Approach employed by San Diego in order to achieve its success; Challenges that the town faced on the curse of its development. INSET: Profit and pitfalls: building a biotech hub.

Thought experiments (TEs) play a central role in physics. We suggest that erroneous TEs may be as important as correct TEs, and that both have a special role in an ongoing process of conceptual refinement for physicists and for naive physics learners. We analyze TEs related to stellar evolution and general relativity made by Schwarzschild, Eddington, Landau, and Einstein. We identify the stages at which crucial errors are done in these TEs, and the cognitive processes which lead to these errors. We argue that necessary conditions for a successful TE (i.e., a TE which leads to correct conclusions) are self-consistency and comprehensiveness of the relevant picture of the world. We show that the TEs by expert physicists and TEs by students are similar on a metacognitive level, but different in details. Students' erroneous reasoning occur in all stages of a TE, whereas physicists usually make errors in the first two stages of TEs. Then we bring evidence that Tes are more prone to errors than laboratory experiments. Next we discuss the implications for naive physics learners, and make suggestion for using TEs in physics education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Does the growth in earnings of foreign-born men exceed that of U.S. natives? We use longitudinal data on earnings from a Social Security Administration (SSA) database matched to the 1994 March Current Population Survey to shed new light on this important issue. We also examine the trend over time in the foreign-born men's earnings growth and illuminate the various ways that SSA data can be used to explore the earnings patterns of immigrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines anti-semitism in caricature and editorial cartooning in the U.S. Caricature, R. W. Emerson wrote, often reflects the truest history of a period. This generalization fits popular American caricature of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Highly visible graphic racial and ethnic stereotypes, mostly comic and satiric but some clearly scabrous, were commonplace in music, on the vaudeville stages, and in the expanding printed news and entertainment media of a United States fraught with racial, ethnic, religious, and class tensions, and prejudices. As we view the printed ephemera of the era from the end of the Civil War to World War II, chiefly cartoons in humor and satire weeklies, posters, advertising trade cards, product labels, sheet music covers, newspaper comics, and book illustrations, it becomes disturbingly clear that their iconography sanctioned ethnic and racial slurs that may shock today's observer. The personal and commercial motivations underlying American ethnic and racial stereotyping are complex and cannot always be reduced to simple notions of prejudice, status deprivation, personality deficiencies, or xenophobia, whether dealing with anti-Semitism, anti-Catholicism, or discrimination against blacks, Orientals, and Hispanics. Some images clearly were anti-Jewish or anti-Semitic, anti-Irish-Catholic, anti-Chinese, anti-Indian, and anti-Negro in the racial sense of the word associated with German Nazi propaganda. But not every insulting, jabbing, and condescending picture reveals inflexible, murderous hostility; some stereotypes originated in the clash of cultural values, the fear and insecurity of a native, largely middle-class population, often insensitive to the feelings of the groups portrayed stereotypically.

Megaprojects continue to play a prominent role in promoting economic development and have proliferated rapidly worldwide. But, as they have grown larger in number, size, and complexity, their planning, implementation and ultimate success become increasingly problematic. Most encounter unexpected difficulties and seldom achieve their original objectives. This article addresses the reasons for this state of affairs by focusing upon the relevance of the Rational model of decision making to the case of the new Denver international Airport. It traces its evolution and considers the extent to which the Rational model explains the major events. It concludes that this model has only limited explanatory power because it does not incorporate political elements which play a major role in megaprojects. The Rational model can be successfully applied to an entire project only where the political system permits a powerful agency to design and implement the project. This condition is rarely met in democratic societies, especially in the U.S. Furthermore, its applicability is limited by the new environment n which planning takes place, an environment that is marked by the emergence of new actors and increasing turbulence and uncertainty. Accordingly, recognition of the role of power suggests that the utility of the Rational model is limited and that alternative planning approaches that emphasize consensus building and flexibility need to be developed for megaproject planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the article the author focuses on patterns of identification and integration with Jewish American ethnic community among Israeli immigrants in Chicago, Illinois and studies the variation across status and generation. Fieldwork, including in-depth interviews with Israeli immigrants and their children and participant observation, indicates that lower status Israeli immigrants seek to identify with Jewish Americans and to integrate into the Jewish American community. In this regard, they differ from both their higher status counterparts and the second generation offspring of both status groups who reject such identification and integration. The study suggests that identification with the proximal host group is determined by both the immigrants' socio-economic background in the sending society and by the social status that they would acquire in the host society by identifying with their proximal host group. Specifically, when newcomer immigrants perceive their identification with the proximal host group as entailing an improvement in their social status, they will be inclined to accept such identification. The likelihood of immigrants identifying with the proximal-host group is also related to the social status of the latter in the host country.

Presents a list of accredited fellowship training programs in gastroenterology in the U.S. as of December 1993, including the University of Alabama Medical Center Program in Birmingham.

This article provides information on the meeting of the American Sociological Association (ASA) at the Marriott Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana from August 28 to 30, 1972. President William J. Goode appointed Stanton Wheeler, Suzanne Keller and Walter Wallace, members of the ASA Council to the Resolutions Committee. The Methodology Section requested the ASA Council to establish an annual ASA Samuel A. Stouffer Award for distinguished contributions to the methodology of sociology. While the ASA Council was more favorably disposed to this proposal than it has been in the past, it delayed final action until the Methodology Section could provide greater specification of rationale, procedures for making award, amount of award and possible termination date for the award. In response to a request for guidance concerning priorities and directions for implementing further action, the ASA Council emphasized the importance of pressing forward the areas of continuing education with such devices as special institutes, refresher courses, summer seminars and others. The ASA Executive Office was also encouraged to proceed with efforts to generate programs for recruiting minority students including, for example, sessions with department leaders and promoting action at regional meetings.

The purpose of this article is to explore the role of women in one's culture, in academia, in a few professions, and in the field of sociology. There are suggestions in some of the sociological literature that women are in a difficult and sometimes unspecified role. Age and Sex in the Social Structure of the United States, analyzes the various avenues of expression available to women domesticity; glamour; and good companion, as expressed in such pursuits as humanitarianism and club activities. Much literature, academic and otherwise, has been devoted to a survey of the opportunities and joys of the domestic role. The foregoing material can serve both as an indictment of, and a cause for, restricting the role of academic women, as well as an accounting of the reasons why women withdraw from the professions. To label the interplay of variables as discrimination is not wholly accurate, but neither can the material be taken as cause for maintaining the status quo. Research continue to be faced with the facts that good intellectual ability among women is being wasted as a social and national resource and that lack of clarity about the female role may be productive of personal unhappiness.

This article focuses on sociologists who have been recognized, through citations in publications, as persons influential in current sociological analyses, specifically on the distribution of influence among individuals and sociology departments in the U.S. This study examined all the citations in all the full-length articles that appeared in the 1969-1970 issues of Social Forces (SF) and in the 1970 issues of the American Sociological Review (ASR). The difference in number between total authors and total citations is attributable to the fact that many authors received more than one citation. Three-fourths of the authors were cited only once, while 2.1 percent received six or more citations. Though three-fourths of the authors were cited only once, they account for fewer than fifty percent of the citations. The 36 authors cited six or more times account for 13.1 percent of the citations, and 22 of those authors account for almost 10 percent of the citations. The basic unit of organization in U.S. universities, and therefore the basic unit of academic disciplines, is the department. As one can speak of a distribution of influence among individuals within a discipline so one can speak of a distribution of influence among departments.

This article presents the results of a survey administered to discover how much concern there is with teaching sociology at the introductory level in the U.S. and Canadian sociology departments. Findings indicate that sociology departments are grappling with the problem of making beginning sociology a more relevant intellectual experience for students with an ever-growing range of interests and expectations. In the survey, 71.1 percent of the U.S. sociology departments had the conventional one-course format in the 1971-72 academic year while 28.9 percent had some other format. Because sociology is undergoing such rapid growth, the authors wanted to find out the degree to which schools were contemplating change in the future. Some critics feel that sociology departments have failed to adapt their course formats to changing student needs. Baker and Behrens feel this way and state that "it is imperative that we ... respond to the plurality of students' abilities, interests, and expectations." The survey indicates that this pessimism represents a metaphysical pathos and that, in fact, U.S. and Canadian departments of sociology are facing the demand for change. Perhaps the most telling evidence of departments' commitments to deal with changing student needs is in the departmental responses.

This article discusses the university and departmental determinants of the prestige of sociology departments in the U.S. One topic of professional interest to sociologists that has been studied extensively is the ranking of departments of sociology in the U.S. Indicators or explanations that have been used to determine departmental quality are subjective quality ratings, research productivity, Ph.D. output, publications of graduates, publications per faculty member, faculty size, average age of faculty, and academic origins of faculty. Objective characteristics and reputational characteristics are used in stratification research. Research based on objective characteristics--such as studies utilizing data on education and income as dimensions of socioeconomic status--takes ascriptive data and performance data, either separately or combined into an index, as the measures of stratification. A more useful conception of prestige is that prestige is the value a socially meaningful object has for an actor. Prestige is thus reputational or subjective by definition. Using this conception, objective data are significant primarily in accounting for subjective ratings, a source of explanation that is lost when objective characteristics are defined as prestige.

Investigates on the independence of the directors of high technology companies when it comes to performing their roles in San Diego. Description of the roles of high technology company directors; Advantages of being a director in high technology companies; general trend in the business directorship.

This article presents the report of the representative to the U.S. National Commission for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). A principal resolution by the National Commission will govern Commission policies during 1972 and recommended to the Secretary of State that the U.S. Government strongly support the strengthening of UNESCO's programs in the areas of human rights, including women's rights, the access of women to education and all other fields of human endeavor and the combating of racial prejudice and racial discrimination, the strengthening of UNESCO's programs to the youth, the strengthening of the role of UNESCO with respect to those aspects of the Second Development Decade falling within the framework of UNESCO's mission, including the problems of urbanization, educational innovation, life-long education and civic education and the strengthening of UNESCO's activities in the area of Man and the Biosphere. The resolution further recommended that the U.S. government support the strengthening of the role of UNESCO's Department of Social Sciences in these four areas by urging the establishment of a Sector of Social Sciences headed by its own Assistant Director General.

This article highlights the 53rd annual meeting of the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) held January 21-22, 1972 at the Tarrytown Conference Center in Tarrytown, New York. The morning session was devoted to the subject Computers and Humanistic Research, the afternoon to Scholarly Research on China and Communication with the People's Republic. At the annual dinner, the speaker of the evening was Ronald S. Berman, chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The ACLS has managed to hold its own in level of support from foundations, universities and other sources and was also able to increase substantially funds disbursed for fellowships and grants-in-aid. A grant from the Ford Foundation has made $219,300 available to the ACLS in specific support of the Committee on Studies of Chinese Civilization. The ACLS has initiated and funded a small international conference at Dromoland Castle in Ireland to discuss some of the social problems raised by developments in science and technology and to consider how the humanities may be made into an effective component of the study of these problems. The conference will be under the chairmanship of Professor Max Black.