Depositional flux of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans in an urban setting.

Dry and wet deposition fluxes of the PCDD/F substituted congeners were measured at two different sites (Clinton Drive and Lang Road) in Houston, TX between December 2003 and April 2004. Average total dry deposition fluxes of 351 and 125pgm(-2)d(-1) were found at Clinton Drive and Lang Road, respectively. A wet deposition flux of 2.

Phonation thresholds as a function of laryngeal size in a two-mass model of the vocal folds.

This letter analyzes the oscillation onset-offset conditions of the vocal folds as a function of laryngeal size. A version of the two-mass model of the vocal folds is used, coupled to a two-tube approximation of the vocal tract in configuration for the vowel /a/. The standard male configurations of the laryngeal and vocal tract models are used as reference, and their dimensions are scaled using a single factor.

Multidimensional analyses of voicing offsets and onsets in female speakers.

This study investigates cross-speaker differences in the factors that predict voicing thresholds during abduction-adduction gestures in six normal women. Measures of baseline airflow, pulse amplitude, subglottal pressure, and fundamental frequency were made at voicing offset and onset during intervocalic /h/, produced in varying vowel environments and at different loudness levels, and subjected to relational analyses to determine which factors were most strongly related to the timing of voicing cessation or initiation. The data indicate that (a) all speakers showed differences between voicing offsets and onsets, but the degree of this effect varied across speakers; (b) loudness and vowel environment have speaker-specific effects on the likelihood of devoicing during /h/; and (c) baseline flow measures significantly predicted times of voicing offset and onset in all participants, but other variables contributing to voice timing differed across speakers.

Cone beam volumetric tomography vs. medical CT scanners.

This article describes the benefits and dental applications of a three-dimensional imaging technique known as cone beam volumetric tomography (CBVT). When compared to conventional medical CT scanners, CBVT is more accurate, requires less radiation, captures the maxilla and mandible in a single rotation of the X-ray source, and is cost-effective for patients. Here we describe the dental applications of CBVT and its advantages when placing dental implants.

Distribution of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in suspended sediments, dissolved phase and bottom sediment in the Houston Ship Channel.

Spatial distributions of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) in the water column and bottom sediments of the Houston Ship Channel in Texas were measured three times over a 1-year period. Total TEQ concentrations in water ranged from 0.01 to 0.

Statistical investigation of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in the ambient air of Houston, Texas.

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (dioxins and furans) are persistent, bioaccumulative and highly toxic chemical constituents that appear in the environment at very low and difficult to measure levels. Although dioxins and furans are widely recognized as toxic contaminants needing regulation, their temporal and spatial concentration profiles and the factors impacting their partitioning and congener distribution are only moderately understood. This paper presents the results from one of the most extensive ambient air dioxin and furan sampling efforts conducted in a geographic area to date.

Achieving universal HIV screening in prenatal care in the United States: provider persistence pays off.

Routine voluntary HIV testing with the right to decline (the "opt-out" approach) is recommended for all pregnant women in the United States but not all are tested. We examined data from surveys of prenatal care providers to identify factors associated with universal testing among patients. Data are from a probability survey conducted in 1999 with prenatal care providers in four separate areas.

Simulations of temporal patterns of oral airflow in men and women using a two-mass model of the vocal folds under dynamic control.

In this study we use a low-dimensional laryngeal model to reproduce temporal variations in oral airflow produced by speakers in the vicinity of an abduction gesture. It attempts to characterize these temporal patterns in terms of biomechanical parameters such as glottal area, vocal fold stiffness, subglottal pressure, and gender differences in laryngeal dimensions. A two-mass model of the vocal folds coupled to a two-tube approximation of the vocal tract is fitted to oral airflow records measured in men and women during the production of /aha/ utterances, using the subglottal pressure, glottal width, and Q factor as control parameters.

Economic benefits of substance abuse treatment: findings from Cuyahoga County, Ohio.

We estimated long-term economic benefits and treatment costs for a sample of substance abuse clients who received treatment in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, using health, criminal activity, and earnings data from the Persistent Effects of Treatment Studies. Clients were interviewed at baseline and 6, 12, 24, and 30 months following baseline. We find positive benefits from substance abuse treatment, almost of all of which were derived from reduced criminal activity and increased real earnings, with overall benefit-to-cost ratios ranging from 2.

Genetic and environmental influences on religiousness: findings for retrospective and current religiousness ratings.

Estimates of the degree of genetic and environmental influences on religiousness have varied widely. This variation may, in part, be due to age differences in the samples under study. To investigate the heritability of religiousness and possible age changes in this estimate, both current and retrospective religiousness were assessed by self-report in a sample of adult male twins (169 MZ pairs and 104 DZ pairs, mean age of 33 years).

Morbidity and mortality of deep sedation in outpatient bone marrow biopsy.

Deep sedation is being provided at an increasing rate for patients undergoing bone marrow biopsy and aspiration (BMBA). The aim of this study was to establish the safety of deep sedation used for adults undergoing BMBA. A nonrandomized database analysis and retrospective review of patient records from January 1997 to December 2000 was performed; 5,811 patients were identified as having undergone their first outpatient BMBA.

Persistence of inconsistent condom use: relation to abuse history and HIV serostatus.

This study longitudinally examines the relation between a history of experiencing childhood and adult physical or sexual abuse, and male condom use by women with or at risk for HIV. Abuse history and prospective condom use data were collected from 214 HIV infected and 189 uninfected women participating in the HIV Epidemiology Research Study (HERS) who were inconsistent condom users at baseline and received two safer sex counseling sessions. Analyses were conducted to assess the association between abuse history and condom use while controlling for sociodemographic variables and other risk factors.

Psychosocial and behavioral correlates of depression among HIV-infected pregnant women.

This study addressed two aims: (1) to assess the level of depressive symptoms among pregnant, HIV-infected racial and ethnic minority women and (2) to identify potentially modifiable factors associated with prenatal depression in order to foster proactive clinical screening and intervention for these women. Baseline interview data collected from HIV-infected women participating in the Perinatal Guidelines Evaluation Project were analyzed. Participants were from prenatal clinics in four areas representative of the U.

The impact of image compression on diagnostic quality of digital images for detection of chemically-induced periapical lesions.

Objectives: To test the hypothesis that there is no significant difference in the detectability of chemically-induced periapical lesions between a non-compressed image and one subjected to a Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) lossy compression technique at a ratio of 23:1 or less.

Method: Chemically-induced periapical lesions were created by placing a solution of 70% perchloric acid at the apex of extracted teeth in 13 human jaw cadaver specimens. Acid was applied in seven incremental time periods from 0-32 h.

Prenatal care utilization and the implementation of prophylaxis to prevent perinatal HIV-1 transmission.

Objectives: To describe prenatal care utilization among women with HIV-1 in 4 US states, and to determine whether the adequacy of prenatal care utilization is associated with the implementation of prenatal, intrapartum, and postnatal HIV antiretroviral therapy (ARV).

Methods: Three-hundred three women completed a prenatal interview. Prenatal, labor and delivery, and infant medical records were reviewed.

Estimating the mission-related costs of teaching hospitals.

Academic health centers and other teaching hospitals face higher patient care costs than nonteaching community hospitals face, because of their missions of graduate medical education (GME), biomedical research, and the maintenance of standby capacity for medically complex patients. We estimate that total mission-related costs were dollar 27 billion in 2002 for all teaching hospitals, with GME (including indirect and direct GME) and standby capacity accounting for roughly 60 and 35 percent of these costs, respectively. To assure their continued ability to perform important social missions in a competitive environment, it may be necessary to reassess the way in which these activities are financed.

Dual contraceptive method use for pregnancy and disease prevention among HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected women: the importance of an event-level focus for promoting safer sexual behaviors.

Background And Objectives: Many women who report condom use also use other methods of birth control such as oral contraceptive pills. The use of 2 or more contraceptive methods often results in less consistent condom use.

Goal: This study sought to document the prevalence and patterns of such dual contraceptive use among HIV-seropositive and HIV-seronegative women, and to assess factors associated with condom-only versus dual contraceptive use.

Contraception use, family planning, and unprotected sex: few differences among HIV-infected and uninfected postpartum women in four US states.

To describe pregnancy intentions and contraceptive use among a postpartum sample of women with and at risk for HIV infection, 258 HIV-seropositive and 228 HIV-seronegative women were recruited from prenatal clinics in 4 US states between June 1996-November 1998. Participants completed interviews at 24-40 weeks' gestation and at 6 months postpartum. At the 6-month interview, 78% of women reported vaginal sex, and 2% were pregnant.

Drivers of healthcare expenditures associated with physician services.

Objective: To identify and rank the key contributors to increases in healthcare costs for physician services.

Study Design: We performed regression analysis using state-level physician cost data from the state health expenditure accounts maintained by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and a national, private (commercial) health insurer.

Results: We estimated that during 1990 to 2000, nominal physician expenditures per capita grew 4.

Drivers of expenditure growth in outpatient care services.

Objective: To identify and analyze drivers of costs for healthcare services delivered in outpatient settings.

Study Design: We estimated 2 regression models of state-level annual outpatient expenditures. The first model uses data on operating costs for hospital outpatient services from hospital cost reports.

Relationship between coping styles and perceptual asymmetry.

This study examined the relationship between coping styles and hemispheric asymmetry, on the basis of prior evidence of reduced posterior right hemisphere (RH) activity in depression, and the relationship between ruminative coping and depression. Two samples of undergraduates (N = 170) completed chimeric faces tasks and 2 measures of coping styles, the self-report Responses Styles Questionnaire and a behavioral choice task. In women but not in men, self-reported rumination was associated with a decreased RH bias on the emotion-based chimeric task.

Attachment representations in 6-year-olds: related longitudinally to the quality of attachment in infancy and mothers' attachment representations.

A new method to assess attachment representations in children by applying a story completion procedure in doll play (SCPDP) is presented. Transmission and continuity of attachment were tested in 28 German families by using the Strange Situation procedure (SS) with the mother and her infant, the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) with the mother when the child is 5 years old, and the attachment representations (SCPDP) of the 6-year-olds. Relying on the twofold distinction (secure/insecure), results revealed a significant continuity of attachment from 1 to 6 years of age, and a correspondence between maternal AAI and child's attachment quality in SS, as well as a correspondence between maternal AAI and the 6-year-olds' attachment representations.

The Perinatal Guidelines Evaluation Project HIV and Pregnancy Study: overview and cohort description.

Objective: The HIV and Pregnancy Study of the Perinatal Guidelines Evaluation Project is a prospective, longitudinal, multisite study established to: (a) assess the implementation of Public Health Service guidelines regarding the prevention of perinatal HIV transmission and (b) evaluate the psychosocial consequences of HIV infection among pregnant women. A distinctive aspect of the study is the use of an HIV-negative comparison group. This article describes the methodology of the study and baseline characteristics of the study sample.

Prenatal and postpartum zidovudine adherence among pregnant women with HIV: results of a MEMS substudy from the Perinatal Guidelines Evaluation Project.

Adherence to HIV treatment regimens during pregnancy may affect efforts to eliminate vertical transmission and influence the emergence of drug-resistant HIV strains that can affect maternal health and the risk of vertically-transmitted resistant strains. Study objectives were to document patterns of adherence to zidovudine (ZDV) during the perinatal period. Pregnant women with HIV who were seen at public clinics, taking ZDV, and willing to use Medication Event Monitoring Systems (MEMS) caps participated in this adherence substudy.

Violence during pregnancy among women with or at risk for HIV infection.

Objectives: This study estimated the prevalence of violence during pregnancy in relation to HIV infection.

Methods: Violence, current partnerships, and HIV risk behaviors were assessed among 336 HIV-seropositive and 298 HIV-seronegative at-risk pregnant women.

Results: Overall, 8.