Setting sample size to ensure narrow confidence intervals for precise estimation of population values.

Background: Sample sizes set on the basis of desired power and expected effect size are often too small to yield a confidence interval narrow enough to provide a precise estimate of a population value.

Approach: Formulae are presented to achieve a confidence interval of desired width for four common statistical tests: finding the population value of a correlation coefficient (Pearson r), the mean difference between two populations (independent- and dependent-samples t tests), and the difference between proportions for two populations (chi-square for contingency tables).

Discussion: Use of the formulae is discussed in the context of the two goals of research: (a) determining whether an effect exists and (b) determining how large the effect is.

Dissolution of primary intimate relationships during incarceration and implications for post-release HIV transmission.

Incarceration is associated with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Incarceration may contribute to STI/HIV by disrupting primary intimate relationships that protect against high-risk relationships. Research on sexual network disruption during incarceration and implications for post-release sexual risk behavior is limited.

Cortisol and aldosterone response to various doses of cosyntropin in healthy cats.

Objective: To determine the lowest dose of cosyntropin on a per body weight basis that would produce maximal cortisol and aldosterone secretion and the ideal timing of blood sample collection after ACTH stimulation in healthy cats.

Design: Randomized crossover trial.

Animals: 7 adult sexually intact male purpose-bred cats.

Dissolution of primary intimate relationships during incarceration and associations with post-release STI/HIV risk behavior in a Southeastern city.

Background: Incarceration is associated with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). It may contribute to STI/HIV by disrupting primary intimate relationships that protect against high-risk partnerships.

Methods: In an urban sample of men (N = 229) and women (N = 144) in North Carolina, we assessed how often respondents experienced the dissolution of a primary intimate relationship at the time of their own (among men) or their partner's (among women) incarceration.

Acute inhibition of carboxypeptidase E expression in AtT-20 cells does not affect regulated secretion of ACTH.

Carboxypeptidase E (CPE) is an exopeptidase that removes C-terminal basic amino acids from a variety of bioactive peptides. In addition to this role, data obtained in recent years has supported a potential function for CPE as a sorting receptor, helping direct peptides destined for regulated secretion from the trans-Golgi to granules in preparation for release. This possible sorting function was assessed using mouse AtT-20 cells, a well-established corticotroph cell line that synthesizes and releases POMC/ACTH in regulated fashion.

Effect of glucocorticoid administration on serum aldosterone concentration in clinically normal dogs.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of oral administration of anti-inflammatory dosages of prednisone for 28 days on serum aldosterone, cortisol, and electrolyte concentrations in clinically normal dogs.

Animals: 10 dogs.

Procedures: On days 1 through 28, 5 dogs received prednisone (0.

Entrainment ranges of forced phase oscillators.

In the vertebrate spinal cord, a neural circuit called the central pattern generator produces the basic locomotory rhythm. Short and long distance intersegmental connections serve to maintain coordination along the length of the body. As a way of examining the influence of such connections, we consider a model of a chain of coupled phase oscillators in which one oscillator receives a periodic forcing stimulus.

Atypical Cushing's syndrome in dogs: arguments for and against.

In the past 5 to 10 years, much interest has arisen in the syndrome of occult hyperadrenocorticism. Patients with occult hyperadrenocorticism purportedly have many clinical signs and routine laboratory abnormalities suggestive of the presence of typical hyperadrenocorticism, or Cushing's syndrome (ie, hypercortisolism either due to a pituitary or adrenal tumor). However, the standard diagnostic tests-corticotropin (ACTH) stimulation and low-dose dexamethasone suppression tests-are normal.

The sprout inhibitors chlorpropham and 1,4-dimethylnaphthalene elicit different transcriptional profiles and do not suppress growth through a prolongation of the dormant state.

Chlorpropham (CIPC) and 1,4-dimethylnapthalene (DMN) are used to control postharvest sprouting of potato tubers. CIPC alters microtubule structure and function resulting in inhibition of cell division. The mechanism of action of DMN is unknown but, because it is a natural product found in potato tubers, there is speculation that it inhibits sprout growth by prolonging the dormant state.

Mutations in retrotransposon AtCOPIA4 compromises resistance to Hyaloperonospora parasitica in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Retrotransposons (RTEs) are a principal component of most eukaryotic genomes, representing 50%-80% of some grass genomes. RTE sequences have been shown to be preferentially present in disease resistance gene clusters in plants. Arabidopsis thaliana has over 1,600 annotated RTE sequences and 56 of these appear to be expressed because of the exact expressed sequence tag (EST) matches and the presence of intact open reading frames.

Adaptive physiological speed/flow control of rotary blood pumps in permanent implantation using intrinsic pump parameters.

An adaptive speed/flow controller was developed based on previous work using the intrinsic pump parameters. Those intrinsic parameters were measured by long-term reliable sensors. The adaptive controller was designed to track the varying total peripheral resistance and update the controller parameters correspondingly.

Toward feedback controlled deep brain stimulation: dynamics of glutamate release in the subthalamic nucleus in rats.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an effective symptomatic treatment in Parkinson's disease. High frequency stimulation (HFS) of the subthalamic nucleus elicits neurotransmitter release in multiple nuclei. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that neurotransmitter release during HFS may be used to provide feedback control of the intensity and pattern of HFS.

Effectiveness of antismoking public service announcements on children's intent to smoke.

The authors randomly assigned 5th- and 8th-grade students to 1 of 3 treatment conditions to study the effects of frequency of exposure to an antismoking public service announcement (PSA) on the students' intent to smoke over time. They found that, among younger children only, viewing an antismoking PSA at least once reduced smoking intentions, although these positive effects did not remain over time. However, the antismoking PSA was effective for younger at-risk children.

Walt Whitman, our great gay poet?

This article surveys the critical debates around Walt Whitman's "Calamus" cluster, arguing that a "queer" reading of Whitman--one that does not see him as, for example, a closeted homosexual who censored his work for fear of being "outed"--is both historically accurate and politically efficacious. While previous efforts to reclaim Whitman as "our great gay poet" are understandable--particularly given critical readings of Whitman that denied the homoeroticism of his poems--today, a reading of Whitman as homosexual threatens to simplify our understanding of the history of homosexuality and to blunt the power of Whitman's poetry to continue to "queer" normative understandings of sex and gender identity categories and their relationship to politics.

Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of tomato elicits unexpected flower phenotypes with similar gene expression profiles.

Background: Genetic transformation mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens is known to cause unexpected phenotypes. Mutations of a specific set of homeotic genes can result in altered floral structure.

Methodology/principal Findings: Previously we identified two genes (LeTGA1 and SOLly GLB1) induced by nutrient availability in tomato.

Pituitary-adrenal function in dogs with acute critical illness.

Objective: To evaluate pituitary-adrenal function in critically ill dogs with sepsis, severe trauma, and gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV).

Design: Cohort study.

Animals: 31 ill dogs admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) at Washington State University or the University of Pennsylvania; all dogs had acute critical illness for < 48 hours prior to admission.

Effects of muscle pump on rotary blood pumps in dynamic exercise: a computer simulation study.

Computer simulation is an important tool to study the interaction between rotary blood pumps (RBPs) and human circulatory system. This interaction is critical for the development of reliable physiological control systems of long-term RBPs. This paper presents a numerical model of the human circulatory system, which innovatively takes the muscle pump into account in dynamic exercise.

Ab initio study of substituent effects in the interactions of dimethyl ether with aromatic rings.

Ab initio calculations have been used to investigate the interaction energies of dimers of dimethyl ether with benzene, hexafluorobenzene, and several monosubstituted benzenes. The potential energy curves were explored at the MP2/aug-cc-pVDZ level for two basic configurations of the dimers, one in which the oxygen atom of the dimethyl ether was pointed towards the aromatic ring and the other in which the oxygen atom was pointed away from the aromatic ring. Once the optimum intermolecular distances between the dimethyl and the aromatic ring had been determined for each of the dimers in both configurations at the MP2/aug-cc-pVDZ level, single point energy calculations were performed at the MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ level.

Some effects of reputation on alliance formation.

Using an experimental approach with 108 MBA students, effects of reputation on the quantity and quality of offers from other players to enter a transaction as well as a player's behavior toward protection against a partner's defection were tested. A purely cooperative strategy generated more and better offers but behavior nearly as consistently reliable was no better rewarded than a pure defection strategy. Also, players with work experience tended to mistrust even strong reputation signals.

Canadian and American sex therapists' perceptions of normal and abnormal ejaculatory latencies: how long should intercourse last?

Introduction: Lay public perceptions about how long intercourse should last are discrepant from objective data on ejaculatory latencies. This may be problematic as the subjective interpretation of latency is a factor related to perceived distress with length of intercourse.

Aim: Quantify the opinion of expert sex therapists as to what are "adequate,""desirable,""too short," and "too long" intravaginal ejaculatory latencies.

Matrix isolation infrared observation of HxSi(N2)y (x = 0, 1, 2 and y = 1, 2) transient species using a 121-nm vacuum ultraviolet photolysis source.

Vacuum ultraviolet photolysis (121.6 nm) of silane in a nitrogen matrix at 12 K leads to the observation of several transient species, which have been characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Four transient species containing silicon and nitrogen have been observed (SiN2, Si(N2)2, HSiN2, and H2SiN2), and one transient species containing only silicon and hydrogen has been observed.

Theoretical Characterization of a Tridentate Photochromic Pt(II) Complex Using Density Functional Theory Methods.

Density functional theory methods have been used to characterize a tridentate photochromic Pt(II) complex [Pt(AAA)Cl], its acetonitrile complex [Pt(AAA)Cl·CH3CN], and the transition state in the complexation reaction. B3LYP/6-31G* (effective core potential for Pt) optimized geometries of Pt(AAA)Cl and Pt(AAA)Cl·CH3CN are found to be in reasonably good agreement with most of the applicable parameters for the available experimental crystal structures of Pt(AAA)Cl and a Pt(AAA)Cl-triphenylphoshine complex, with the exception of one of the dihedral angles, the deviation of which is determined to be due to a steric cis versus trans effect. Vibrational frequencies are calculated for Pt(AAA)Cl and cis-Pt(AAA)Cl·CH3CN, and the predicted shift in the benzaldehyde carbonyl frequency is found to be in line with that observed experimentally.

The One-Minute Preceptor: a five-step tool to improve clinical teaching skills.

The One-Minute Preceptor (OMP) is a teaching tool that has been used successfully for over 10 years in family practice residency programs. It was designed to enhance the teaching skills of physicians involved in the clinical education of new residents. This article describes the five steps of the OMP and how it was taught to a group of nurse preceptors and reports their evaluations of the impact that this education had on their ability to instruct and offer feedback to the novice nurse.

Susceptibility of zebra fish Danio rerio to infection by Flavobacterium columnare and F. johnsoniae.

Flavobacterium columnare is a serious pathogen in a wide range of fish species. F. johnsoniae is an opportunistic pathogen of certain fish.