Seasonal dynamics of endosymbiotic ciliates and nematodes in Dreissena polymorpha.

We report the results of a two-year study in the Svisloch River (Minsk, Belarus) on the dynamics of infection in Dreissena polymorpha by nematodes and three ciliate species Conchophthirus acuminatus, Ophryoglena sp., and Ancistrumina limnica. Although these endosymbionts were present in most of the samples, their prevalence and infection intensity differed significantly.

Examination of racial imbalance for children in foster care: implications for training.

Concerned with the high number of African American children in out-of-home care in an East Texas county, the regional administrator of a state public child welfare agency asked its IV-E partnered university to examine the kinds of training the agency might need to address the problem. A semi-annual time-series model from January 1997 to June 1999 was constructed to track the proportion of African American children at three critical case junctures: investigation, case opening, and removal of the child to out-of-home care. In addition, the study analyzed characteristics of the county's population, including racial changes and poverty.

Predicting the readability of transparent text.

Will a simple global masking model based on image detection be successful at predicting the readability of transparent text? Text readability was measured for two types of transparent text: additive (as occurs in head-up displays) and multiplicative (which occurs in see-through liquid crystal display virtual reality displays). Text contrast and background texture were manipulated. Data from two previous experiments were also included (one using very low contrasts on plain backgrounds, and the other using higher-contrast opaque text on both plain and textured backgrounds).

Camptothecin accumulation and variations in camptotheca.

Camptotheca (Nyssaceae) is a major source of anticancer camptothecin (CPT). It is imperative to understand CPT accumulation and variations in Camptotheca in order to develop CPT production strategies for endangered germplasm. Our study results showed that CPT is primarily accumulated in glandular trichomes of leaves and stems, and CPT content varies among species and varieties but even more significantly within the plant (with different tissues, tissue ages, and seasons).

Challenging the one-size-fits-all myth: findings and solutions from a statewide focus group of rural social workers.

Of America's counties, 76% are rural, comprising 83% of U.S. land and 25% of the American population.

Discriminability measures for predicting readability of text on textured backgrounds.

Several discriminability measures were examined for their ability to predict reading search times for three levels of text contrast and a range of backgrounds (plain, a periodic texture, and four spatial-frequency-filtered textures created from the periodic texture). Search times indicate that these background variations only affect readability when the text contrast is low, and that spatial frequency content of the background affects readability. These results were not well predicted by the single variables of text contrast (Spearman rank correlation = -0.

Field and laboratory studies of Ophryoglena sp. (Ciliata: Ophryoglenidae) infection in zebra mussels, Dreissena polymorpha (Bivalvia: Dreissenidae).

This study, conducted in the Dnieper-Bug Canal in Belarus, is the first to monitor the seasonal (June-November) dynamics of infection with the parasitic ciliate Ophryoglena sp. in a zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) population. Mean population prevalence and intensity of infection varied, respectively, from 11 to 62% and from 0.

Ownership of cats or dogs does not increase exposure to Rickettsia typhi.

In the United States, murine typhus (Rickettsia typhi) is endemic in southern California and South Texas. Evidence indicates the natural host/vector system is the opossum and cat flea, the most common flea on both cats and dogs, and speculation suggests that pet contact may pose a risk for R typhi exposure. Serum from 140 subjects was tested for rickettsial antibodies by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay that used an R typhi antigen.

Women's anxiety about social and exercise settings.

This study involved a comparison of social physique anxiety, assessed through the application of a modified version of the Social Physique Anxiety Scale, with 28 women who were new members exercising at all-female facilities compared to 43 new female members exercising at coeducational facilities. Analyses indicated there were no significant differences in means between the groups. The scores of women attending all-female facilities were significantly more influenced by the sex of members when choosing a facility.

Aspect differences in above- and belowground carbon allocation: a Montana case-study.

Aboveground net primary production (ANPP) and belowground gross primary production (BGPP) of all vegetation were measured in eight young, paired plots on a north and south aspect in western Montana. Stands of high and low overstory tree leaf area index (LAI) were compared. BGPP increased with ANPP, though they were not directly proportional.

Elderly hospice cancer patients' descriptions of their pain experiences.

A qualitative research design was used to identify and describe the pain experience of elderly hospice patients with cancer. Eleven participants over the age of 65 receiving hospice services from a for-profit hospice in east Texas were interviewed in their homes. On the basis of a constant-comparative method of analysis, participants identified: (a) multiple sites of pain; (b) hierarchy of pain; and (c) strategies used to decrease pain.

Health care social workers' views of ethical issues, practice, and policy in end-of-life care.

End-of-life care decision making is perhaps the most difficult practice situation faced by health care social workers. Complex ethical issues arise from decisions regarding use of advancing medical technologies and/or other artificial treatments that may prolong life and/or compromise its quality. NASW has set forth a policy to help guide social workers dealing with end-of-life care decisions and the preservation of client self-determination in these situations.

Performance-improvement strategies can reduce costs.

Hospitals continue to be challenged to reduce costs while providing high-quality care. Cost-reduction methods that hospitals can use successfully include cost data, interdisciplinary approaches, benchmarking, clinical pathways, physician profiling, and case management. Cost reduction also can be achieved through performance inprovement.

An evaluation of the presence of pathogens on broilers raised on poultry litter treatment-treated litter.

Two trials were conducted to evaluate the presence of salmonella, campylobacter, and generic Escherichia coli on broilers raised on Poultry Litter Treatment (PLT)-enhanced litter in comparison with those raised on untreated litter. Two Company A farms included three houses on each farm as the treated group and three houses per farm as controls. Two complete growouts were evaluated on each farm.

Enduring suffering: a grounded theory analysis of the pain experience of elderly hospice patients with cancer.

Purpose/objectives: To identify, describe, and generate a theoretical analysis of the pain experience of elderly hospice patients with cancer.

Design: Qualitative, grounded theory.

Setting: Participants' homes in rural east Texas counties.

Commitment to physical activity and anxiety about physique among college women.

This study involved a comparison of scores on the Commitment to Physical Activity Scale and the Social Physique Anxiety Scale by 258 women athletes, kinesiology majors, and a control group. Mean commitment to physical activity of the control group was significantly lower than the means of the other groups; the mean on anxiety about social physique was significantly higher.

Improving undergraduate nursing research education: the effectiveness of collecting and analyzing oral histories.

Nine oral histories of retired RNs (age range from 60 to 77) were collected by trained senior nursing students in their nursing research class. Attitudes toward nursing research of the 18 undergraduate baccalaureate nursing students participating in the collection and analysis of oral histories were compared with 20 students who did not participate. Both groups of students completed a pretest and posttest Attitudes Toward Nursing Research Questionnaire.

Modus operandi of female serial killers.

The modus operandi of female serial killers was examined from a chronology of 58 cases in America and 47 cases in 17 other countries, compiled over 25-year intervals. Female serial killers in other countries accounted for a disproportionately greater number of victims, but those in America managed a longer killing career when associated with a low profile modus operandi.

The impact of child sexual abuse on addiction severity: an analysis of trauma processing.

The Information of Processing Trauma Model provides a framework for understanding the dynamics and responses of childhood sexual abuse. Chemical dependency plays a role in both the cause and effect of childhood sexual abuse. Survivors of childhood sexual abuse with chemical dependency require treatment of both disorders.

Empowerment as a source of healing: redefining the art of nursing management.

Empowerment amounts to a social process of recognizing, promoting and enhancing staff nurse abilities to meet self needs, solve their own problems and mobilize the necessary resources to gain mastery over their own professional lives. Healing, to be made whole, is a process of getting in touch with that which is impeding our realization of wholeness. Empowerment as a source of organizational healing conveys the message that in order to realize wholeness, nurses are dependent upon personal and organizational resources.

Decreases in the critical disparity gradient with eccentricity may reflect the size-disparity correlation.

The interaction between dot separation and fusible disparity limits (critical disparity gradient) was assessed at 0, 2, 4, and 8 deg eccentricity by 19 subjects. The critical disparity gradient showed a significant decrease with eccentricity such that larger separations were required for fusion of a given disparity as eccentricity increased. An argument is put forth that this relationship supports a size-disparity correlation.