Care of the adult patient with cystic fibrosis.

Recently published consensus statements and conference proceedings from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation provide new direction with regard to the etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of the adult patient with cystic fibrosis (CF). Survival has improved through early diagnosis and improved treatment, and aggressive management of complications. The current state of knowledge, the most recent evidence-based treatment options, and essentials of nursing care for the adult patient with CF are outlined.

Adaptive urn designs for estimating several percentiles of a dose--response curve.

Dose--response experiments are crucial in biomedical studies. There are usually multiple objectives in such experiments and among the goals is the estimation of several percentiles on the dose--response curve. Here we present the first non-parametric adaptive design approach to estimate several percentiles simultaneously via generalized Pólya urns.

Lexical influences in audiovisual speech perception.

Phoneme identification with audiovisually discrepant stimuli is influenced hy information in the visual signal (the McGurk effect). Additionally, lexical status affects identification of auditorily presented phonemes. The present study tested for lexical influences on the McGurk effect.

Pediatricians' opinions about otitis media and speech-language-hearing development.

Unlabelled: Twenty-five pediatricians responded to a confidential survey about their opinions on the relationship between otitis media and children's speech-language-hearing status. Results found that pediatricians did not necessarily agree that otitis media has an impact on speech-language-hearing development. Pediatricians reported that an early otitis media onset (birth to age 2) affects speech-language development, but they also reported that parents and daycare environments could mitigate any otitis media effect.

Varying initial-link and terminal-link durations in concurrent-chains schedules: a comparison of three models.

In Experiment 1, pigeons responded on concurrent-chains schedules with equal variable-interval schedules as initial links and fixed delays to food as terminal links. One terminal-link delay was always three times as long as the other. As terminal-link delays increased, response percentages on the key with the shorter terminal link increased according to a curvilinear function.

HIV medication adherence programs: the importance of social support.

Since the advent of medical treatments for HIV, the promotion of adherence to these difficult treatment regimens has proven critical to disease management. Three Connecticut state-funded HIV medication adherence programs were evaluated.1 The purpose of this process evaluation was to explore and compare the goals and modality of each adherence program, assess client and staff satisfaction, and provide recommendations for the improvement of these programs.

Gender and identity status differences in late adolescents' possible selves.

The current study examined gender and identity status differences in late adolescents' possible selves. The intent of the study was to clarify conflicts between theory and research on gender differences in identity by investigating the content of participants' possible selves. Participants completed measures of identity and possible selves.

Effects of free-food deliveries and delays on choice under concurrent-chains schedules.

Pigeons responded on a concurrent-chains schedule with two equal variable-interval (VI) schedules as initial links and delays to food of 3 and 12s as the two terminal links. In even-numbered sessions, no other reinforcement schedule was present, and all pigeons showed a strong preference for the response key that had the shorter, 3-s terminal-link delay. In odd-numbered sessions, the initial links were interrupted at random times by one of three different types of events.

Addressing students' social and emotional needs: the role of mental health teams in schools.

Children in today's society face many stresses from a variety of sources that have a major impact on thier psychosocial adjustment and academic performance in school. These stressful events and thier consequences on the quality of life and academic success are particularly significant among low-income and ethnic minority students in American society. Many schools have adopted strategies to help students who are impacted by stressful life events to deal affectively with their problems in an attempt to reduce school failure and school dropout rates among these students.

Promoting social communication in high functioning individuals with autistic spectrum disorders.

This article reviews a range of social communication interventions that have been developed for students with autism at the preschool, school age, and adolescent level. Adult-mediated and peer-mediated methods that use highly structured, child-centered, and hybrid methods are examined. Programs that provide information on generalization and maintenance are identified.

Concurrent-chain performance in transition: effects of terminal-link duration and individual reinforcers.

Pigeons responded on concurrent-chain schedules with variable-interval initial links and equal delays as terminal links. The terminal-link delays were 1 sec in some conditions and 20 sec in other conditions. The percentages of reinforcers delivered for responses on the left key were 10%, 30%, 70%, or 90%, and this percentage was switched every five to nine sessions.

The effects of a 10-week, periodized, off-season resistance-training program and creatine supplementation among collegiate football players.

The periodized resistance-training model has not been well documented in the literature. Further research is needed to determine if periodized resistance training in conjunction with creatine supplementation can cause changes in strength, performance, total body weight, girth, and lean muscle mass. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation was to determine the effects of periodized resistance training in conjunction with low-dose (LD) and high-dose (HD) creatine supplementation on strength, body composition, and anaerobic muscular endurance.

Evidence against a constant-difference effect in concurrent-chains schedules.

Savastano and Fantino (1996) reported that in concurrent-chains schedules, initial-link choice proportions remained constant as terminal-link durations increased as long as the subtractive difference between the two terminal-link schedules remained constant. Two experiments with pigeons were conducted to examine this constant-difference effect. Both experiments used equal variable-interval schedules as initial links.

Care of the laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication patient.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease can usually be successfully managed with conservative medical treatment. Anti-reflux surgery is a safe alternative when treatment fails or patients desire a more definitive treatment option. Through a case study approach, this article describes the indications for surgery, the essentials of the authors' multi-disciplinary approach to care and the components of a well-designed education plan for a patient undergoing laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication.